Of Ice And Blades
by The Little Ninja
Summary: Tara Woodson is an assassin with powers over Purgatory and the supernatural. After moving to Springwood to escape her brother's wrath, she takes up residence in an old preschool that holds secrets of its own... *WILL CONTAIN SEXUAL CONTENT AND VIOLENCE*
1. Prologue

_What, but the rapacity of the only men who exercised their reason, the priests, secured such vast property to the church, when a man gave his perishable substance to save himself from the dark torments of purgatory.  
~Mary Wollstonecraft_

* * *

_Assassin. _

_Hitman._

_Hashashin._

Whatever you choose to call my profession, it's all the same thing; I'm an assassin. I kill people for money and for the benefit of my fellow assassins. _  
_

If you must know, assassins have been highly overrated. Everyone thinks that all we do is assassinate people and fight against the Knights Templar like in _Assassin's Creed_. Yeah, we did, but our history is much deeper than a video game or a storybook. Ezio and Altair may not have been real, but the Assassin's Creed, the code that we live by, is. Back then, the Creed was made up of three tenants; Stay your blade from the flesh of an innocent, always be discreet, and most importantly, _never _compromise the Brotherhood. Nowadays, it's been revised for the changing of the times. Sure, there the three original tenants still stand, but there were some areas that the head assassin's felt were not quite covered. There are now four additional tenants to the originals; never slay a child, by accident or intentionally. Next, outsiders are strictly forbidden from the Order, lest they prove potential or are recruited as children. Then, assassins may never marry outside the order. And lastly, anyone, child or adult, that compromises the Brotherhood will be put to death by their own blades.

Yeah, pretty much, our society is much more brutal than it was all those years ago. But it's because of the brutality that we are still alive. However, I don't think Brotherhood is the correct term nowadays; more like _Sisterhood _since all the men are dead, the only exception being Joseph R. Cushing, the man that took me in after my parents were killed. I trust him with my life, and to tell you the truth, he's really like a dad to me than anything else. The women are that's left; first there's Tracy Gordon, our techie. She's one of the four remaining Master Assassins, but unfortunately, a bad fall made her unable to follow us on contracts. Next is Blair 'Witch' Sparks, our courtesan of the group. Sure, she may _look _like a pansy, but don't let her fool you; Blair is a bad ass under her sexy exterior. Mostly, she runs an underground prostitute ring to get information about our enemies. No one's really comfortable about it, but we don't complain since most of the information is good. Then there's Katie Chandler, the oldest assassin girl. She's like a sister to me; we often go on contracts together since she's so good at using her hidden blade **_and _**(get this) she's an **amazing **gymnast. And then there's me; Taralynn Renee Woodson, at your service. I'm a Master Assassin too; have been since I was thirteen, but I'm not bragging. You could say that I'm pretty much the ringleader of the bunch as well as the soon to be Head Master of the Assassin Order.

There's two younger assassins that live with us too; first there's Melody Herslip, our trainee scout. At the moment, she's just an Advanced Assassin, one step away from becoming a true Assassin, then a Master. And finally, there's little Chelsea Watts, my adopted daughter (Not a word about my age. I just said that I **would **be 18 considering I was still alive.). She's the youngest assassin; only 10 years old, would you believe! She's showing real potential, but she has separation anxieties from me whenever I go to Purgatory, or when I have to leave on an assassination contract. It kills me really; I mean, she never knew the love of a mother as I did. Well, none of these girls have. Not even little Melody; her own mother sold her for drug money... But, all that aside, they're good girls, and if there's one thing that I want to ensure, it's that they get the life that they deserve.

With their help and the help of our underground network, we're hoping to bring the Assassin Order back from the brink of death. But that's hard to do since my brother Andrew Woodson is hellbent on making sure that we fade away into the pages of history. Little by little, we're all hunted down and killed without a proper burial given to the fallen. Many, out of fear that they will be killed, took their own lives. All of them; children, women, and men alike- killed by their own blades. There's nothing crueler or colder than dying by your own blade... I should know.

You're probably wondering what I mean; I know just like everyone else before me does; I died. Not of suicide, though I am guilty of having attempted such a cowardly escape from the confines of my former life, but of murder. And trust me, it wasn't painless.

I remember dying quite well; I fell off a roof while my brother was chasing me because he had caught on that I was responsible for killing his wife... someone that had killed our parents, who were also assassins. But it wasn't the fall that killed me- rather, it was my hidden blade that killed me. In an attempt to kill Andrew before he tried to kill me off, I attempted to assassinate him, but my blade broke against his gun, and once I hit the ground, the blade went straight through my heart. Even then, I still was not dead; the poison that was imbued with my blade, however, finished me off in minutes. Ironic, huh?

You would think that my story would end there, but it didn't. All I remember was waking up to this place; Purgatory. People say that this place was for those that are awaiting the Final Judgment, but that's not the truth. Really, Purgatory is a place where Heaven and Hell put you to _forget _about you. Both sides constantly fight over who your soul truly belongs to, so instead of wasting time on people, they just let you stay here if you were neither saved nor a sinner in life. Heh, I'm not sure how I fit into the non-sinner club, but I'm not complaining. It's better than running around scared shitless for the rest of eternity.

I don't really know how to describe Purgatory; it's different, sure, but at the same time, I feel like I've been here all my life. I've begun to learn how to control this place to my advantage- At first, all I could do was walk on walls and ceilings, but then I started experimenting with assassinating people while here. I can easily move in and out of Purgatory to the 'living world' as I call it. If I'm spotted, which is very rare, while assassinating someone, or if someone is chasing me, I can quickly open a portal and go back to Purgatory. If I'm hurt in the living world, I don't have to worry about dying so long as I return to Purgatory as soon as possible... assuming, of course, that I'm already dead. Very few people know that I can control Purgatory, but I've learned in the past that the more you talk, the more you give people to use against you. Trust me, it's words to live by.

I've been asked many times to teach the others to use Purgatory too if the assassins are in so much danger of dying out, but it's easier said than done, and time is not on our side. We're running out of hideouts, and much of our underground network has been rooted out and... _disposed of, _for lack of another word. To make matters worse, we've had to relocate from Chicago to a new town called Springwood, Ohio. For some reason, everyone is real iffy about going there, but who isn't iffy these days? Whatever the reason is, we don't have a choice at the moment until we can find another safe haven. Worse; we're running out of assassins. Soon we won't have a choice but to search for recruits, and even then we are still in danger. You never know who you're recruiting or if you can trust them, and at the moment, we can't afford to be betrayed.

Well, that's enough about the past. For now, I need to get out there and find out more about this Springwood place. For some reason, I'm getting the vibe that something big is going to happen there. But I'm not sure what yet...

* * *

**Author's Note: **In case you were wondering, yes, this fanfic will have _some _references to Assassin's Creed, but most information will come from the actual history of the assassins. This **isn't **a crossover, but I wanted to point this out just in case you were wondering. =) Also, if you want to get an idea of what Tara and the others look like (Joseph isn't in this picture, but he is in another), check out my deviantART page. It's the same as my pen name, only with a lowercase H. See you there!


	2. Call To Arms

**Author's Note: **This story will take place after the 2010 remake of _A Nightmare on Elm Street_. Freddy will be a mix of !EnglundFreddy and !JEHFreddy. I'm not able to pick my favorite from those two, so I'm just gonna put them both together. He'll look like he did in the remake, but there will be references to the original movies here and there.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Freddy (I wish I did...) and any characters for the NOES movies. They all belong to their respectable owners. I do, however, own all OFC's and OMCs. There will be excerpts from my brother's story _Cold As Ice _throughout the story, so if you want to read it, you'll have to nag me to nag my brother to nag him to put it on here or on deviantART since he's so picky about who can and can't read his stories. There will be a few references to the _Assassin's Creed _games, but most of my information will come from research that I've done on the Assassin Order. That is all.

**Pairings: **Freddy/Tara (Originally, I wasn't going to do this simply because these two are almost polar opposites, but for the sake of my inner fangirl and all you Freddy girls out there, I'll be nice this once. **BUT!** I want to say that this is not some Mary Sue story. If you want one of those, read _Twilight._) OFC/OMC

**Warnings:** Word to the wise, this story will contain lots of language, violence, Freddy hotness, crude humor, sensual content, and a lemon here and there. So yeah, not for the kiddies. You have been warned.

* * *

'Remind me again why we're doing this?"

Joseph jumped slightly when he heard Tara's voice, but then again, it was weird when she suddenly spoke in her low voice at all. Tara usually let her eyes do most of the talking, and even then it was still rare for her to show her eyes to anyone. Having ice sapphire eyes did that sometimes.

'Hello? Joseph?" Tara asked once more, catching his attention.

'Yeah, my bad. What's up?" The assassin beside him rolled her eyes and leaned back in the passenger seat of the Focus.

'I asked you to remind me why the hell we're moving. I mean, what's in Springwood anyways?" Joseph sighed and rubbed his temple with his left hand. It was hard arguing with Tara, especially when considering just how volatile her temper could be.

'We've gone over this eleven going on twelve times now, Tara," Joseph started gently. 'I know you didn't want to leave home, but we don't have a choice. Soon we won't have a safe haven left for us if your brother keeps this 'witch hunt' of the assassins up." Tara scoffed and glanced out the window.

'Like telling him that will make it stop." She murmured, half to herself and half to Joseph. Both assassins grew silent as Tara took out her neon green iPod and started blaring Cascada's 'Pyromania' while Joseph concentrated on driving. More was on her mind at the moment than she was willing to admit; it wasn't just the thought of leaving her childhood home that bothered her the most, rather it was the fact that she was leaving behind _everything _in Chicago. But what was left in Chicago? All that was there were the shattered memories of her final days with her parents, the home that had once been her haven, the graves of assassins that had been her closest friends, Ghost...

'So... you ever look into those new recruits I found before we left?" Tara's eyes glanced to Joseph for a moment before Tara turned her music down a bit.

'I did," she started, her mind clearly elsewhere as she took in the scenery of the Ohio River. Joseph looked at her with a sympathetic look on his face.

'You doing ok there, kid?" He asked, touching her dark red hair softly. Tara didn't answer, so he decided not to push her for answers. Tara leaned her face against the glass of the window, watching as the grey clouds above them suddenly released a gentle spray of rain. _Mom always liked the rain,_ Tara recalled quietly, a silent tear falling down her pale cheek. It had been almost seven years since her parents had died, and Tara couldn't see herself healing from losing them anytime soon. Sometimes, whenever she was in Purgatory, she would replay her fondest memories of them, hoping that perhaps those memories would heal the hole in her heart, but instead the memories kept her wound open, and with each year that passed, the wound grew larger. Since then, Tara swore to herself that she would never become attached to anyone other than Joseph. She wouldn't go through the pain of losing someone else, not after what she saw that night...

_So much for that, _Tara reminded herself as she glanced to the picture that was set as her iPod's background. There, staring back at her with eyes of the brightest green, was Ghost, _her_ Ghost. With a heavy heart, she remembered how she had come to know the man that would've been her husband if they both were still alive.

_Assassins could not marry outside of the Order. How did she forget, Tara wondered as she stared at the older boy in front of her. They both had been looking one another over in childlike curiosity as two adult assassins watched on, ready to separate them should either turn violent. Ghost was his name; no first or last name from what she had learned. He was only three years her senior; Tara being only twelve and he fifteen. It was hard not to say that he was not attractive; long black hair was kept from his face with a white string, hands in black jean pockets as he stared hard at the young redhead with ice sapphire eyes. Tara felt totally exposed when in his presence, like he could read her thoughts and see her soul-_

_'So, you read anything good lately?" he suddenly asked in a low voice, clearly irritated at being with a girl. Tara swallowed and nodded meekly. _

_'Well, I don't know if you like it, but I've always liked ready Edgar Allen Poe's work..."_

_'Really?"_

_'Yeah... my favorite is _Annabell Lee_. Mom liked it too..." Tara couldn't help but add, looking away for a moment. A look of sympathy crossed Ghost's face. _

_'You lost your mom too?" He asked, walking a bit closer to her. Tara nodded. _

_'Mom and dad both." Ghost laid a gentle hand on Tara's shoulder. _

_'I know how you feel. Though... to be honest, I really wasn't too close to either of my parents..."_

_'Why?" Tara questioned, feeling as though she were finally breaking through the ice of Ghost's heart. He shrugged. _

_'It was kinda like a stranger passed away. Almost as though I never truly knew them. I'm not one that likes to grow too close to anyone." Ghost explained. Tara could've swore that she saw a hint of sadness come into those beautiful algae green eyes of his. _

_'Must be a really lonely life, if you weren't ever close to anyone." she couldn't help but say. Ghost looked to her through black bangs, lips pulled into a small smile. _

_'Won't be that way now since we're together." Tara's eyes sparkled. _

_'Unless you consider that I don't mix business with pleasure, Ghost boy." Ghost's eyes sparkled in return. _

_The game of love was in play.  
_

Tara shook her head, forcing all thought out of her head, refusing to let herself cry. There was only one place where she would let herself do such a thing, the only place where she was truly free from anyone and anything that reminded her of the past...

'Joe," she suddenly said, switching off her iPod and wrapping her earphones around it.

'What's up, TW?" he asked with a smile, using his pet name for Tara. Tara smirked and touched his shoulder.

'I'm going to Purg for awhile. Can I trust you not to do anything overly stupid while I'm gone?" Joseph grinned at her.

'Oh come on! Who do you think you're talking to? I never get in trouble!" Tara smiled and rolled her eyes.

'Sure you don't," she added, settling in her set and closing her eyes. 'You know how to bring me back if you need me."

'Of course..." Joseph replied, and Tara couldn't help but think that something was wrong when he said that. She chose not to say anything as she concentrated all her energy on forcing her spirit to leave her body. She would have just opened a portal and took her body with her, but she was feeling particularly lazy today and opted for leaving it in the car, just to keep Joe some company.

When Tara opened her eyes again, she saw the familiar landscape of Purgatory around her. Whenever she was in a good mood, it resembled a city of light, everything bright and happy. But other days, like today, it was dark and cloudy. She stood there for a moment, black boots digging into the fragile ground of Purgatory. She still couldn't believe that they had to leave Chicago; didn't Joseph know that that was the only place she called home? Her parents never really traveled out of the city unless they were going on vacation, and Tara really couldn't remember when, if ever, they left for any other reasons. She inhaled deeply, not really needing to, and closed her eyes. She didn't want to think about her parents, as much as she loved them. She needed to do something to get her mind off of everything. She needed to just run around in her private world and pretend that nothing was wrong until Joseph decided to bring her back out. She _needed_ someone to talk to.

It was lonely sometimes in Purgatory; there was hardly anyone nearby that would ever talk to her, even if she went just to the borders of Heaven and Hell.

Sometimes she would see new souls going to their final destinations, and she would eagerly try to engage them in conversation, but they were either too scared of Hell or too much in a hurry to see their family in Heaven, and in the end, Tara would be left alone. She tried once or twice to speak to her parents, just to see them one more time, and she was denied. Neither realm wanted her, at least not yet.

'Damn it," she whispered before breaking out into a run. She focused on one of the buildings in front of her, and with ease, she launched off the ground and landed on one of the window sills of the building, nimbly climbing up. Not a bit afraid of falling, Tara decided to run straight up the rest of the way before gracefully flipping onto the roof. But she didn't stop there; in a leap of faith, Tara let herself fall until she almost hit the ground, then broke her fall by grabbing a ledge and climbing back up onto a roof.

She wasn't doing anything in particular as she climbed, Tara just enjoyed the freedom she had in Purgatory. She liked to jump from roof to roof, almost like a cat. The wind caused by her movements felt good on her face, and for a moment, she let a ghost of a smile cross her face as she climbed the tallest building in her world (She would sometimes make the buildings tall just for this purpose) to look around for awhile. Reaching the top, Tara perched on the ledge and looked around her. Just ahead, she could see the faint light of Heaven to her right, and the dark red of hell to her left. In front of her was a large expanse of nothingness, but Tara decided she would check out what was going on with Joseph as she willed an image of Joseph's car to appear.

It looked like they still weren't in Springwood since they were still driving past Cincinnatti. She scoffed as she heard him put in an Elvis C.D. Tara didn't like Elvis' music since it just didn't make her want to dance. Instead it had her making a beeline for the nearest room away from the sounds. She liked classical music and sometimes she could sit through rock, but what she really enjoyed was techno, like Cascada. To give herself something to do, Tara decided to will a boombox beside her, her favorite song 'Evacuate The Dance Floor' playing at full blast. Nodding her head to the beat, Tara caught herself singing along to it, and before she could stop herself, she was _dancing_. There was just something about the song that would make her just break into dance, but all techno music did that to her, and that was why she liked it.

_ Oh, oh  
Evacuate the dancefloor!  
Oh, oh  
I'm infected by the sound!  
Oh, oh  
Stop, this beat is killing me!  
Hey Mr. Dj! Come burn this place down to the ground!_

Remembering a game that she had played and beaten, Tara decided to attempt the ending dance that Bayonetta had done at the end. To her surprise, she could easily pull off the dance, moving liquidly to the music as though she were born to dance. Her red hair swung with her lean body as she moved, her black, form fitting shirt never so much as wrinkling. Her blue skinny jeans moved with her body, not once restricting her legs as she performed high kicks and fast spins. By the end of the song, Tara wasn't panting for breath as she would have in the living world. Instead, she was in a much better mood than she was when she first came.

'Well, that was fun," she remarked, ice sapphire eyes sparkling happily. She glanced to Joseph and noticed a strange sign not far ahead of him that read in large letters- Welcome To Springwood! A Nice Place To Live. Tara wasn't sure if she should believe it. It was a rather small town, and she wondered if they would be able to find some suitable recruits there. But there was something else about the sign that caught her attention. Curious, she leapt through the image until she landed beside the sign. Over the population number, it looked as though someone had taken knives and crossed out a number. The numbers underneath were unreadable, but she did notice that there was at least seven thousand people living there now. Tara stared at it for a long moment before wondering if maybe Joseph had noticed, but decided that maybe it looked different in the living world than it did to her. She started to walk past the sign to explore further, but was pushed back suddenly by some unseen force.

'The hell?" she murmured, stumbling a bit and trying to walk forward again only to be pushed back. 'I'm not liking the looks of this." Tara concentrated on the 'force field' that surround the area behind the sign, and found that it was being block by another being. She continued to send out her energy, attempting to pull herself into it, but was assaulted with pain as she staggered backwards.

_What's blocking this place,_ she wondered. There was only one thing that could be keeping her from entering another territory; someone apparently had laid claim to this place, and didn't welcome outsiders. Tara sent out her energy one more time, trying to seek out the person that was keeping her out, but found no one. Shrugging her shoulders, Tara decided that she would find out who it was sooner or later, but for now decided to see if she could feel out some new assassins. She leapt back through the image of her world and was once more perched on the same building she had leapt from in the first place. She sat down and closed her eyes, focusing on drawing potential assassins into her world, just so she could size them out, as she often did when seeking those with true potential. First she tried looking for anyone from surrounding towns, and came up empty handed. She didn't originally plan to, but Tara soon decided to try and bring some from Springwood to Purgatory, but once more, she was attacked by some unseen force.

'Whatever is in that place," Tara whispered, giving up for now. 'It clearly doesn't want me there." She paused for a moment, twirling a dark strand of hair thoughtfully around her finger. 'But I'm all up for a challenge if someone wants to invite me to a party..." Tara added, grinning sadistically. She sat there for a long time, watching Joseph before the image was obstructed by something cutting through it.

'What the fu-" Tara cried out, jumping to her feet. A dark laugh echoed through her world, and Tara couldn't help but glance around to see if she was still alone.

'Who are you?" She called out, sapphire eyes darting back and forth, finding nothing. The laughing suddenly stopped, and silence greeted her, leaving Tara thoroughly confused. She couldn't believe it; someone was _actually_ in her world! How else would they have been able to tear through that image? But where were they and why were they hiding from her?

'I'll find out later," she said aloud, connecting her mind with Joseph's.

_What's up, TW,_ his voice rang out.

'Pull me out, Joe. We need to talk." Tara explained, keeping her voice even.

_Yes ma'am. Before I do, I should let you know that I got a call from our good friend Katie while you were doing your ghost thing._

'Really?" Tara asked. She knew who Katie was; she had been one of the first assassins Tara recruited after she had rescued her from a slave ring.

_Yeah,_ Joseph continued. _She's waiting at our new hideout. She managed to bring the others to the house and while they were waiting for us, they added on to the basement so we could have more room for other assassins. And she said to tell you she said hi._

'Sounds fan-fucking-tastic." Tara remarked. 'So are you gonna bring me out or not?" Joseph laughed once more.

_Ok, ok. Just hang on until I get to the house._ Tara smiled to herself.

'Alright then. Don't keep me waiting." She severed the connection with Joseph's mind and laid down on the hard concrete of the roof.

'It's time to sound the call to arms."


	3. First Encounters

It was well into the afternoon when Joseph finally brought Tara out of Purgatory, not that she was complaining at all about it. At the moment, she could have cared less since the strange occurrences while in Purgatory still plagued her mind. What was it that made her unable to pass the Springwood sign? Was it because she wasn't truly dead? Was something- or someone- guarding it? She couldn't understand.

'You feeling alright there, kiddo?" she heard Joseph say suddenly. 'You're looking like a hot mess."

'Eh, I've been better," Tara replied truthfully, crossing her arms after stretching, her eyes still closed.

'What's that supposed to mean?" she heard Joseph ask. Tara sighed and half opened her ice sapphire eyes, staring at the dashboard as she considered whether or not to tell him.

'I don't think there's any possible and or logical explanation for what happened in Purgatory." she finally said, turning her head to look at the older assassin. Joseph smirked and turned to face Tara.

'Try me, kiddo." Tara almost wished that he hadn't said that. _Almost._ She took a deep breath and cracked her neck.

'Only if you will tell me why the hell we're parked outside a preschool." Tara replied, suddenly realizing where they were. Joseph glanced to the school and looked back at Tara.

'In case you've forgotten, Miss Realm Jumper," he started. 'We're at our new hideout." Tara slowly looked to him as he said this, and Joseph swore that her eyes started glowing.

'You're shitting me."

'I shit you not," he answered, removing his seat belt. 'Welcome to Badham Preschool, TW!" Joseph tried to imitate an announcer, causing Tara to give him an unimpressed glare.

'Why the hell are we here?" she murmured, mirroring Joseph's act of removing her seat belt. Joseph shrugged.

'Well, given the fact that no one ever comes here anymore because of some shit that happened back in the day," he started. 'It was the next best thing to some haunted house."

'I would take a haunted house over a preschool any day." Tara answered, opening her door and stepping out. The school looked pretty bad... OK, maybe not that bad. The sign outside looked old and wore out, and the yard was littered with weeds and trash. A couple of graffiti artworks had been sprayed on the front walls, but otherwise, everything looked decent. _How the hell did I get myself into this,_ Tara wondered, closing her door and wandering closer to a decrepit white fence that surrounded the building. There was a rusty swing set long forgotten in the far corner, the swings creaking each time the wind blew, only adding to the creepiness of the place. Tara closed her eyes for a moment and willed a vision of Purgatory to come into her mind.

There was an odd pulse that surrounded this place, something she had never sensed before. It was definitely evil, that much was certain, but she couldn't quite decide if it was a threat or not. In the future, Tara sensed that she might have to do something to make it a none threat, but at the moment, everything was peaceful for the most part. How long it would last, however, was still a mystery to her.

'Something bothering you?" Joseph asked, touching Tara's shoulder gently. Ice sapphire eyes opened and glanced to him, sending a familiar shiver down his spine. No matter how used to the sight of her eyes he was, Joseph was sometimes afraid of Tara. There was just something about her eyes that scared him, eyes that would glow bright as the morning sun if she was angry, or if she was about to go berserk. He shook his head slightly. Those were things that he would rather not talk about, much less think about. Tara was quite adept at sensing when someone was thinking of her, and usually her reaction wasn't pretty when she figured out who was thinking about her. Depending on what you were thinking would determine how bad she would hurt you, or kill you if she was in a bad mood to begin with.

'Not at the moment," Tara sighed, looking back over the building. Joseph wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders.

'I know it's not much," he murmured, hugging the girl he had grown to see as a daughter, the daughter that he never had. 'But we won't be here forever. One day we won't have to worry about being hunted down, and maybe one day... everything will seem like a bad dream." Tara glanced to the ground for a moment, and appeared to think before looking back up to the older assassin.

'Promise?" she asked, eyes seeming sad for a fleeting moment. Joseph smiled as he kissed her forehead.

'Promise." he replied. A ghost of a smile passed over Tara's face, but as quickly as it came, it faded away as Tara looked once more to the preschool sign.

'Joseph," she began, blue eyes losing their sparkle. 'There's something about this place that bothers me..."

'What do you mean?" Joseph asked. Tara glanced back at him.

'For some reason, I keep getting the vibe that we shouldn't be here. There's something... surrounding this place, like a barrier that's warding off trespassers. I got the same vibe back in Purgatory when I tried passing an old sign. No matter what I did, I just couldn't seem to get around it, and I was the only person there! At least... I think I was..." She answered, voice fading off like a whispering wind. Joseph remained silent, clearly thinking about what she had said.

'We'll worry about it later," he suddenly said, releasing his hold on Tara and walking to the door. 'For now, let's go see what the others are up to. I'm pretty sure they've been on the edges of their seats waiting."

'Sure..." Tara called back, looking once more at the building. Taking a deep breath, she allowed her shapely legs to carry her to the door and over the threshold. No sooner had she passed through, Tara felt something trying to push her back out.

'Joseph," she called, catching the man's attention. 'It's happening again." Joseph watched as Tara struggled to continue down the hall.

'What the hell?" he whispered.

'What the hell is right!" Tara threw back. 'Something clearly doesn't want me here!" Suddenly, a thought crossed Joseph's mind. _I wonder..._

'Tara, try going to Purgatory." he suggested. Tara stared at him for a moment, clearly confused with what he had in mind. 'Just do it. I have an idea."

'Usually when you have an idea, it involves either me getting my ass handed to me, or someone besides you getting laid." she said under her breath, still struggling against the invisible force that tried unrelenting to push her back out the door. Joseph sighed and laid his hand on Tara's shoulder.

'Just do it and stop bitching about it." he said again. Tara gave him a hard stare before closing her eyes.

'You better have a good idea in mind." she whispered, pushing her soul out and away from her body, watching it fall to the ground. Joseph looked to her near transparent figure and grinned.

'Looks like you're not affected when you're out of your body." he noted. Tara rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

'Well obviously everyone seems to like me when I'm out of it. Fair warning dude; anything tries to rape me, first I'll bite their damn dick off and kill you with it." Tara threatened, drawing an amused laugh from Joseph. 'I'm dead serious, I hope you know!"

'How do you even know that the force guarding this place is a guy, Tara?" he quizzed, picking up Tara's lifeless body with ease. The young assassin didn't have an answer. 'That's what I figured."

'Well... it just seemed rather butch, that's all!" Tara called after him, phasing through the wall to follow Joseph as he took a sharp right. The room she entered appeared to have been a classroom at one time; she counted ten seats 2 neat rows fixed in front of a chalkboard that covered the entire wall in the front. To the left was a round table littered with old crayons and coloring books that had seen better days. Tara glanced over the pictures that still hung on the walls, all clearly drawn by children. There was one that caught her attention instantly; in the picture, a little girl drawn in pink stood beside a taller figure with a Christmas sweater, brown slacks, and a dark brown hat. She couldn't be certain if it was a man or a woman, but seeing that short blondish brown crayon marks poked from under the hat, she guess that it was a man. There wasn't a name on the paper, so Tara was left thinking that a girl probably drew this picture. She continued to peruse the drawings, finding others that depicted a man in a Christmas sweater as well. The more she looked, the more Tara began to see an eerie pattern. Just who was this man in the Christmas sweater? And what was it that made the children _all_ draw pictures of him?

She must've stood there for hours, her spirit focused on one picture in particular. It was the same man that plagued all the other pictures, but there was something different about this one. Remarkably, it wasn't dirty and water stained as the others were; this one had been drawn on a crisp white sheet with new crayons instead of the older, broken crayons. The man was still in his Christmas sweater, slacks, and hat, but his face was horribly burnt, like he had been in a bad fire, and on his right hand was a glove. But not just any kind of glove, this one had four long blades from the fore finger all the way to the pinky, each colored in white.

'Who drew this?" Tara wondered aloud, gently removing the tack that held it in place and taking it away from the wall in curiosity. This was a child's drawing, there was no doubt about it, but why would a child be here? And apart from that, why would they draw a... _demon_, for lack of another word? Tara wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer. The screeching of metal against a chalkboard caught her attention abruptly, causing Tara to spin and look to the front of the room. There, standing with his back to Tara, was the man that was depicted on the paper she still held. Still as a statue, Tara stared at the back of the man, taking in his appearance with ice blue eyes. His sweater was burnt and dirty, his pants covered in ash and dirt too. Work boots on his feet looked as though they could use a good washing, and his hat was not exempt. The screeching she had heard came from the bladed glove that he wore on his right hand, just like in the picture.

'It's not polite to stare, you know," a raspy voice called to her, Tara jumping slightly.

_How can he see me,_ Tara wondered. Only other assassins could see her though she appeared to be a transparent, 3D looking figure before them, and this guy clearly _wasn't_ an assassin. He turned to look at her with a pair of green eyes, eyes that were just a bit brighter than Joseph's, but not as bright as Ghost's had been. His face, just like in the picture, was horribly burned, just as the rest of him was.

'Well, can you talk or not, bitch?" he asked, irritation edging his voice. Tara blinked a few times and crossed her arms, letting the picture she had been holding fall to the floor, floating until it rested against her black, knee high boot.

'Normally, no, but since you can apparently see me, I guess I don't have a choice, now do I?" she threw back, eyes glittering in the dimming light of the setting sun. The man, rather a demon, said nothing in return, eyes wandering over Tara's pale, stoic face. 'Well, are you going to talk or not, bitch?" Tara added, purposely throwing his insult back at him. Bad mistake.

'Flattery," he replied and Tara, though still a spirit, felt the sting of blades cut through her chest and arms. Her face remained blank as she slowly blinked her eyes at her attacker, who looked at her as though she was crazy.

'Oh, if I had a nickle for everytime someone did that." she breathed, watching as her wounds sealed together. The burnt man backed a step away, clearly confused. 'Nice move, sweetie. Now let me show you how it's done." Tara smirked, drawing out her two daggers stashed in the sides of her boots. Twirling them with ease, she threw them in his direction, watching both score a direct hit to his shoulders. He was forced back a bit from the sheer force alone, but instead of falling over, he just stood there and laughed at her. This was like a slap to the face for Tara, and in anger, she pulled a throwing knife from her pocket and threw it full force at his eye, once more earning an amused laugh from the demon. Tara shook her head, eyes glowing in anger.

'What the fuck are you?" she whispered, half tempted to draw her hidden blade out and end it there for him, but found that she was unable to move.

'You're a feisty little girl," he suddenly said, pulling Tara's daggers out of his shoulders and then plucking the knife from his eye. 'You can't hurt me kid." Tara's face went from angry to shocked in a split second, and she was left shaking her head in disbelief.

'I don't know where you came from or what you are," he continued, 'But you're in my world now."

'Your world?" Tara asked, truthfully not knowing what he was talking about. This brought another laugh from the burnt man.

'What's wrong, little girl? Never had a nightmare before?" Tara froze when he said this. _Nightmare,_ she thought, looking away for a moment. _I'm... having a nightmare? For the first time in almost four years... I'm dreaming?_

'Tara!" Joseph suddenly called. 'Tara, kid what are you doing?" he asked, watching Tara stare at the picture in her hand. A gasp escaped Tara as her ice sapphire eyes turned to look at him, and looking as though she had just seen a ghost. (_No pun intended,_ Joseph couldn't help but add.)

'Tara?" He called again, walking up to her spirit form. Tara glanced from the paper to Joseph, confused.

'Joseph," she started, looking to the chalkboard. How long had she been standing there? 'Joseph, did you see anyone in here?" she asked. Joseph shook his head.

'No, why?" he questioned, green eyes clearly concerned. Tara shrugged.

'No reason. Just curious, that's all." Tara finished. Joseph stared at her for a moment and turned to walk out of the room.

'Let's go, kiddo." He called back to her. 'Katie wants to talk to you."

'OK, I'll be down in a minute." Tara replied, looking once more to the chalkboard. There were no signs that her mysterious 'dream demon' had even been in the room with Tara, and even though he had ran his claws along the board, there wasn't so much as a mark.

'I was... dreaming..." Tara whispered, touching her cheek slightly. 'He said I was dreaming... but how? I never dream! At least... I don't think I do..." Tara pondered on this for a moment before shrugging it off as though it were nothing. 'I'll talk to Katie about it." she decided, letting her spirit fall through the floor to the basement. 'Maybe she knows a thing or two about him."


	4. Who Is He?

In the realm of dreams, Freddy Krueger sat at his dirty desk, cigarette in hand as his blades tapped against his pants, eyes transfixed on the TV screen. There, still in her spirit form, was the new girl. He ground his sharp teeth in irritation; the little bitch wasn't supposed to be here! There was just something about **her **that he couldn't get his head around, her being able to take a hit from his blades and come back from it as though it were nothing.

The more he watched her, the angrier he got. The girl's long red hair was pulled away from her face, her cheeks bearing scars from what looked like a knife, but otherwise, she was beautiful (something else Freddy was jealous of). Her figure was shapely, and her form fitting black shirt showed off her ample bosom. Dark blue skinny jeans stopped at her knee high black boots, making her look a bit taller than what he guessed she was.

Freddy took a long drag of his cigarette and exhaled, hazel eyes watching the girl's spirit wander around the school, looking at what the others had done before she arrived. She seemed in no hurry to try and reanimate her body, so Freddy wasn't in any hurry to force her back out again.

The other girls seemed happy to see the red haired girl; they all gathered around her, talking excitedly as greetings were exchanged. One in particular, a child that couldn't have been more than nine, was following the red head like a love sick puppy dog, and the older girl smiled and let her stay close, talking with a much older girl suddenly.

'This could get interesting," he murmured, lighting another cigarette as he polished his first one off and flicked the butt somewhere to the side.

* * *

Everyone seemed excited to see Tara, even if she was still in her spirit form. Chelsea in particular was skipping about happily, following her adopted mother closely as she often did. The others merely smiled and went about their business of setting up their new hideout.

Over the time that it had taken for Tara and Joseph to arrive, the basement had turned into a makeshift base; computers were being booted up by Tracy, their tech geek and Melody was helping Blair with sweeping up the floors a bit. Joseph and Katie were catching up on what each had been doing, and Tara had to hide her smile as she watched them. She knew that Katie had a crush on Joseph, even though she wasn't willing to admit it. She wondered if she could write a letter to the head assassins to see if they could be allowed to marry one day if Joseph chose to propose...

'Here's the woman of the hour!" Katie's unmistakable Southern accent suddenly rang out next to Tara. Ice sapphire eyes met stormy blues as Tara smiled warmly at her friend.

'Hi, Katie," Tara greeted, suddenly forgetting that she was not in her body at the moment. Katie understood what was wrong immediately when Tara started to hug her, but backed away.

'If you want, we can go outside to talk," Katie invited, motioning to Tara's lifeless body. She glanced from Katie to her body, not sure what to do.

'Can I come too?" Chelsea asked Tara, staying as close as Tara's spirit form would allow, careful not to pass through her legs. Tara looked down and smiled.

'Of course," she replied, not seeing Katie's smile fade when she said this.

'I don't think that's a good idea," she heard her murmur under her breath. Tara glanced up to Katie, a strange look on her face before the older assassin shook her head.

'Later," she replied to Tara's unspoken question. Tara nodded and willed her spirit to enter her body. Katie and Chelsea waited patiently, knowing that it sometimes took awhile for Tara to get used to being back in her body. Five minutes passed, and Tara's eyelids fluttered open.

'Don't sit up too fast there, kid," Joseph called, observing what was happening, and the remaining three assassins dropped what they were doing and rushed to hug Tara once they saw that her body moving again.

'Yeah, yeah," Tara replied, sitting up and cracking her neck.

'Mommy!" Chelsea called, running to Tara's arms and possessively holding onto her.

'You're finally awake, Tara!" Blair's soft voice called as she hugged her dear friend. Katie, Tracy, and Melody mimicked this, all of the assassins refusing to let go of Tara, even when she began to protest.

'Ladies, you're cutting off my air flow here! Ease up on the squeezing!" she laughed.

'You're already dead, silly! You don't need air!" Melody giggled, darting out of reach when Tara playfully made a grab for her. Katie and the others backed off a little while's later when Tara finally found the strength to get to her feet. Chelsea still clung to Tara, making it clear that she wasn't about to leave her side. Tara never seemed to mind, and even as she began slowly walking around the room to get her blood running to her legs again, Chelsea was right there chattering away while Tracy and the others went back to what they were doing.

Katie joined Tara as she made the climb up the stairs, ready to help if Tara needed it. Chelsea ran ahead of the older assassins and made a run for the swing set nearby.

'So how are things?" Tara asked as they exited into the yard of the preschool, the sun casting beautiful pink and orange colors across the sky as day became dusk. Katie shrugged and hugged herself in the chilly fall air.

'Now that you ask, not so great." Katie replied, smile fading as both assassins leaned against the graffiti ridden wall of the school. Tara looked to her, one leg bent so that the sole of her boot rested against the wall.

'What makes you say that?" she inquired as Katie looked into Tara's bright blue eyes.

'We've lost contact with the last assassins in Chicago," she started, looking back to where Chelsea was happily swinging and laughing. 'I'm trying to keep positive about it, but I'm worried that they didn't make it..."

'What about our underground? Is it still together?"

'Not sure. Blair went out to the downtown area to scout for potential assassins here in Springwood, and ran into some gang members that seemed to recognize her. She talked with them for awhile, and figured out that most of our underground network here have been forced into hiding since something happened awhile back..." Katie's voice faded as she glanced back to Tara.

'So I'm not the only one that's noticed that something's going on?" Tara asked, not meaning to say this aloud.

'You've seen him too?" Tara looked to Katie from the corner of her eye. 'The man with the burnt face?" She was silent for a moment, then nodded.

'Yeah. When we first got here-"

'I know, Joseph told me. I would've told you sooner, but I didn't want to worry the others." Katie answered, turning to rest her shoulder against the wall.

'Who is he?" Tara questioned, looking away from Chelsea for a moment. Katie didn't reply. 'Katie, if you know something, please don't hide it from me. You know you can trust me." Katie took a deep breath and looked to Tara.

'Before I do, I want you to promise me something." Tara nodded, indicating for Katie to continue. 'I want you to put aside anything that you may know about dreams and about the possibility of someone returning to haunt a town. What I'm about to tell you will either stun you or, knowing how nothing really phases you, pass right through one ear and out the other.

'Back in the day, when this school was still open, there was a child molester and killer that lived here in Springwood. Some say he worked as a gardener, and others say that he worked in a power plant not far from here. Documents that I found hidden away in the town's archives prove that he worked in a power plant.

'Many of the children went to this very school. After kidnapping a kid, he would take them to his boiler room, and kill them with a bladed glove, then burn their bodies in the boiler. No one ever suspected that he was the killer until his daughter came forward to the police, explaining that she had seen him kill her mother. The police arrested him, but the guy walked on a technicality. The parents, angry that a child killer had got away, hunted him down and burned him alive in his boiler room.

'When he died, he became something much worse. The parents began noticing that their children were having nightmares about a man with knives on his fingers, a brown fedora, and a striped shirt who was horribly burned. They would soon learn that the man they had killed, had come back to haunt the nightmares of their children.

'Whenever someone had a nightmare about him, they would always recall it being unnaturally real. But what was even more frightening was if you died in your dream, it was for real. A few years passed, and soon all the children of Springwood were dead. His daughter, Katherine, managed to find a way to kill him, and to this day, no one speaks about him. It's fear that feeds him, and the more people that are afraid of him, the stronger that he gets." Katie explained, taking care not to speak too loud. Tara took all of this in, ice sapphire eyes looking to the ground for a moment before she looked back to Katie's face.

'What was his name?" Tara asked quietly. Katie's face turned serious suddenly.

'Tara, if I tell you his name, I need you to swear to God that you won't say a word to anyone. I don't want the others to know that we were talking about this." Katie whispered, glancing around. Tara sighed.

'Katie, just tell me his damn name already," she whispered back. Katie swallowed and stared Tara directly in the eye.

'His name... was Freddy Krueger."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Don't you just love chapters that leave you hanging? XD I don't think I made this clear before, but I believe Darkness AKA Paula was the one that brought this up; is Tara **dead or alive**? Paula, I told you she was dead, but I forgot to add something in the message! D=

Tara is not quite dead, but she's not quite alive either. Technically, she's not undead either. Tara, having died and gone to Purgatory, is still able to reanimate her corpse whenever she wants to come back to this world, but **only **if she is summoned back. For instance, when she tells Joseph to bring her back when he needs her, she's relying on him to pull her back out. If the situation came up that Tara was not able to come back, her body would decompose as if she never was alive. **Otherwise**, it remains the same as if she were only sleeping. Hope that answers your questions!

Many thanks to Shadrikah (I hope I spelled that right) and Darkness for their reviews! Please keep them coming, as I am always looking to improve where improvement is needed! Till next time...

Freddy Plushie- Sweet dreams


	5. Back For More?

Tara wasn't exactly sure what to think as Katie told her the name of the man. Krueger, she had said. Freddy Krueger. There was something about that name that she just couldn't seem to put her finger on, something that resonated trouble straight to the core.

'Katie," she started, trying to make sense of everything. 'You told me that you researched this guy right?" Katie nodded, brushing a strand of brown hair out of her eye.

'You don't believe me do you?" she suddenly asked, Tara jumping a bit at her sudden question. She started to deny it, to say that she did believe her, but Katie would know it was a lie. And if there was one person you didn't lie to, it was Katie.

'Do you want the truth or a bald face lie?" she started, not meaning to sound like a smartass. Katie gave her a look, and Tara smiled despite herself.

'Honestly, I'm not sure I do, Katie." Tara started, smile fading. 'I respect you, I really do, but come on Kate. A guy coming to haunt you in your dreams? Sounds a bit far fetched to me."

'Then what do you say about the man you saw in the classroom? How to do you explain being asleep in your spirit form? Hmm?" Katie shot back, sounding angry. Tara felt a pang of guilt for having said she didn't believe her. She didn't want to admit it, but Katie **did **have a point, even if it sounded crazy. 'I told you beforehand to put aside anything you knew about-"

'I know, I know," Tara interrupted. 'I don't know what the hell that was supposed to be. I haven't dreamed since my parents died, and I don't have any logical-"

'To shit with logical, Tara! This fuckery is for real, whether you want to believe it or not!" Tara was quiet for a long moment after Katie's outburst, face stoic, but behind her eyes, anger was slowly brewing. 'Look, you don't want to believe? Fine. Be that way. But let me be the first to warn you; if you go to sleep, you're not waking up."

'Katie, you can't go without sleep. None of you can."

'Easy for you to say. You're dead." Katie replied, crossing her arms. Tara scoffed and rolled her eyes.

'Tell me something I don't know."

'And now you're just being a smartass, just like your Templar of a brother!"

That did it for Tara; before she could stop herself, she had Katie pinned to the wall, eyes glowing brightly in anger. Katie's face had quickly gone from angry to frightened the second she caught Tara's angry eyes.

'You think I want to have him as my brother? You think I actually give a shit about the fucktard that took the two things I cared for most in this world? It's because of that bastard that we're in this mess in the first place! So don't you _dare _compare me to him, bitch." Tara hissed through clenched teeth. Katie gulped and tried to glance away from Tara.

'I wasn't trying to-"

'Oh don't give me that shit! You know damn well what you were trying to imply! You're lucky I haven't gotten around to _killing _you for that!" Tara finished, shaking with barely contained rage. She knew she had to control herself; if she didn't, she's hit Katie over and over again. And Katie, knowing just how volatile Tara's temper was, wouldn't just sit there and die. She would take one or two hits before fighting back.

_And one of them would very well die..._

Tara's eyes stopped glowing suddenly and, with slightly wide eyes, drew away. _It's happened again, _she silently mused. _I blacked out in anger... just like I did as a kid... _She looked to the ground, then back to Katie, who was slowly backing away from Tara.

'I, I'm sorry," Tara murmured, breathing hard. 'I didn't-"

'Don't be," Katie whispered, laying a hand on Tara's shoulder. The two assassins caught each others stare, stormy blues a sharp contrast to Tara's ice sapphires. Words did not need to be shared, for just looking into the others eyes told both women what went unsaid; _you are my friend. I forgive you._ This moment of silence continued until Tara caught something moving out of the corner of her eye. It was then that she noticed that Chelsea was gone.

'Oh my God," she whispered, looking to where the youngest assassin was once playing, Katie glancing over as well.

'Chelsea!" Tara called, running to the swing set. Katie went in the opposite direction to check around the small playhouse nearby. 'Chelsea!" Both assassin's looked high and low around the playground area, but the white blonde haired assassin was nowhere to be found. Tara's hands were on her hips, eyes desperately scanning for any signs of Chelsea. Katie came to her side, bending down to catch her breath.

'She couldn't have gone far," Katie murmured, glancing around once more. 'She knows better than to wander off without one of us. Unless-"

'Don't even," Tara snapped in a warning tone. 'We can't think like that. She's has to be around here somewhere." Inside, however, Tara was giving herself a hell of a tongue lashing. _You idiot, _she scolded herself. _You were supposed to be watching her! You were supposed to be paying attention, not talking away as though she wasn't even here!_

'Mommy!" A little voice called out, and Tara held her breath for the longest moment as she turned in the direction of the voice. There, holding three daisies in her small hand, was little Chelsea.

'Mommy!" she called again, running into Tara's arms. She bent down and held the little assassin girl, finally breathing a sigh of relief.

'Chelsea! Where have you been?" Katie called, not interested in joining the embrace Tara and Chelsea shared. Bright green eyes looked up at her, lips smiling happily.

'Picking flowers!" she grinned, handing one to Katie and another to Tara. 'That way we all look alike!" Tara and Katie glanced to one another, both with small smiles on their faces. It was difficult to become angry with the other assassins, especially little Chelsea. _Besides, _Tara reminded herself. _If something were to happen to Chelsea, she would scream for us, and while we're on our way to her, she can fight the best she can to get away. _

Even with this reassurance, Tara couldn't shake the thought of something happening to her adopted daughter, especially when Andrew was hunting them down. They had lost seven assassins in Chicago, seven Master Assassins that had trained with Tara since she was a little girl. Seven assassins that would never recruit potential assassins. Seven assassins that would never again fight with their brothers and sisters...

She shook her head slightly as Chelsea drew away and ran off to the swing set once more, skipping and laughing. The air had suddenly turned chilly as the sun disappeared and the first few stars lit the night sky. Katie glanced upwards, watching as the moon came into view. Tara followed her stare, ice sapphire eyes almost glowing in the lunar light. Katie looked to Tara and wrapped an arm around her, hugging Tara.

'It's good to have you back, Tara." Katie whispered, watching as more and more stars appeared beside the first. Tara smiled slightly.

'It's good to be back." she agreed. The laughter of Chelsea brought the assassins' attention back to the little one. Katie glanced heavenwards once more.

'We should get inside for the night. Tracy and the others should already have the bedrooms set up." she started, looking back at Tara. 'I don't know if Joseph told you, but your room is up in the attic of the place. I remembered how you liked to have a loft room." Tara smiled, still watching Chelsea play.

'Thanks. Go on inside, I'm going to sit outside for awhile." she replied, looking once more to the moon. Katie nodded.

'Let's go Chelsea! Time to get a bath and get some sleep!" she called. Chelsea stopped swinging and pouted.

'Aw, can't I play for a little while longer? Please?" she asked. Tara laughed quietly as Chelsea grouchily walked to Katie.

'Chelsea, do as your told." she said, smoothing the little one's hair. 'Besides, once you've had a bath, I heard Joseph was going to pull out Monopoly." Chelsea's eyes lit up at the word.

'Really? Then I better get in the bath!" she squealed, running to the door of the school. Katie and Tara laughed at her excitement before Katie patted Tara on the back.

'See you when you get in," she called, following the younger assassin inside. Tara nodded back to her and glanced back to the moon. A gentle breeze wrapped itself around the young assassin, her hair floating gracefully behind her. A single strand of hair that had managed to free itself from it's black ribbon drifted in front of her bright eyes, but Tara made no move to tuck it back behind her ear. For that moment in time, Tara felt calm and content, even if she was far from home, the only home that she had ever known.

The hiss of steam caught her attention as Tara slowly turned to look behind her. She was no longer standing outside the preschool as she had been moments before, but was instead in a large and hot boiler room. All around her, steam hissed from pipes, catwalks lining the gaps between walls. To her, it seemed as though everything was red as blood, shadows scattered here and there in the boiler room.

Metal screeching against metal made Tara turn sharply once more. Sparks were flying up and away from the gloved hand that raked along the walls, the screeching nearly deafening as Tara flinched slightly. As the steam died down a bit, she caught sight of a shadow walking towards her, but it didn't take her long to realize who it was.

'So let me guess; you're back for round two," Tara started, watching the shadow disappear. She sensed someone behind her and turned just as a bladed glove was about to stab her. Instead, the blades lodged in the wall, just inches from Tara's neck. 'Freddy Krueger." she finished, ice sapphire eyes locking on Freddy's hazel eyes. They glared at one another for a long moment, neither demon nor assassin making a move to attack the other.

'You think you're really something, huh bitch? Coming into my territory and try to take _my _children from me." he growled, and Tara caught sight of his dirty teeth. And a hell of a whiff of his horrid breath. She fanned the air in front of her nose as she looked away from a moment.

'I'm almost afraid to ask who the unlucky chick was that had them if you've got kids. And dude, please get a TicTac or something, cause something must've _died _in your mouth." Tara murmured, looking back at the dream demon. He stared at her in surprise, and Tara guess that no one had been that blunt with him.

'Those little fuckers? My kids? Bitch, where the hell are you from, Mars?" he hissed back, not making a move to pull away. Tara shrugged.

'Something like that," she replied, not meaning to sound so serious. Krueger laughed at this finally freed his claws from the wall and flicked them dangerously close to Tara's neck. She didn't even flinch when he nicked her neck, then brought the claw to his mouth to lick the drop of blood away. Tara watched him in morbid fascination, having never seen someone bold enough to even _try _to cut her.

'Looks like you're into some kinky shit if you like to taste someone's blood." she murmured, crossing her arms, and leaning against the boiler, only to jerk forward when she was burned-

_And went face first into Freddy's chest._


	6. Our Blades Have Met

**-Read Me!- **There is a fight scene and lots of cussing in this chapter of the story! This fight is not serious, so don't expect one or the other to win just yet! Now on with the show!

* * *

'Son of a-" Tara said, her voice muffled against the burnt fabric of Freddy's sweater. She caught his hazel eyes once more, and pushed away from him only to be pinned to the scalding hot metal of the boiler. She never so much as grimaced at the pain; in all truths, she barely felt it. The smell of her burnt flesh, however, was a little too much as she tried to push Freddy away from her.

'Uh uh, little piggy," he cackled, his left hand holding her against the boiler by her throat. Tara grabbed his wrist in an attempt to pry it off of her, but was stopped short by invisible bonds.

'What the fuck do you think you're doing?" she hissed, eyes glowing in anger. Freddy stared into her piercing eyes, a cruel smile on his lips.

'Finishing what I started, bitch." was all he said as Freddy proceeded to cut her arms and neck, watching her blood spill out over her shirt and jeans. Grinning wickedly, he drew back his gloved hand, ready to kill her just like all the others. For a moment, he wondered if he should cut out her eyes and keep them in a jar...

'Sweet dreams, slut!" he said, claws coming within a mere millimeter from her chest before Tara let loose an inhuman growl and forced her body to disappear from view. She reappeared on the highest catwalk, watching Freddy look this way and that in confusion, claws once more lodged in the boiler.

'Hey asshole!" She called, catching the dream demon's attention. 'Looking for me?" Freddy growled in frustration, and before Tara knew it, he was on the catwalk with her, breathing hard as his eyes glowed bright blue in anger.

'What... the... FUCK do you think you're doing pulling stunts like that in MY world, bitch?" He growled, walking closer to Tara. She shrugged and laughed.

'Well, if you have to know the truth, they always did say-" at this, Freddy took another swipe at her with his gloves, and at the last second, Tara disappeared and reappeared behind him, playfully giggling. '-That I didn't play well with others." she breathed into his ear, standing on her tiptoes. Freddy's eyes glanced to her, and for a moment, she could have swore she saw amusement flicker in them, but she shook it off and drew away, raising her leg and kicking him to the ground.

'Hope you don't mind if I take a stab myself," she added, willing two twin swords to come into her hands. Krueger jumped back to his feet, blocking her blow just as they were about to land. Sparks flew as blades met blades, and both killers were forced back from the sheer force alone. Tara twirled her short swords skillfully, smiling maliciously at the dream stalker.

'Let's dance, Krueger!" She called out, waiting patiently for him to come charging at her. Tara didn't have long to wait; as she expected, Krueger disappeared in an attempt to attack her from behind, but misjudged how limber Tara was; bending backwards with ease, she drove both blades into his wrists and, as though he were weightless, pulled him up and over her, the blades of her swords cutting through both hands. Freddy didn't lay there for long; he jumped right back up just as Tara was standing upright once more. Making sure she was watching, Freddy smiled viciously at Tara as his hands healed as though nothing had happened to them. She cocked her head, confused, but was distracted by Freddy pointing his index claw towards something overhead. She thought for a moment he was just doing it to piss her off even more, but when she heard the sounds of something falling past pipes and hitting walls, Tara glanced upwards to see a boiler crashing down upon her... if she hadn't rolled out of the way first. Once more, she felt invisible hands grab her, and Tara was thrown through the air, bouncing off pipes and slamming full force into the hard metal guardrails. She heard Freddy laughing with sadistic glee as she was thrown like a rag doll, her swords falling from her hands and landing somewhere on the floor.

'Damn you to fucking hell, you bastard!" she yelled in rage, having just about enough of this.

'Too late for that, ya little slut," Freddy called back, laughing as though this were the most hilarious thing he had ever said. Just as she was about to be slammed against a particularly large pipe, Tara managed to call upon some of her powers from Purgatory, and managed to land on her feet. Once more, Freddy growled in anger as he lost control over her, and once more, Tara laughed at his futile attempts to kill her.

'I don't know what you call this little game," she started, walking across the hot pipes lining the walls. 'But I'll have you know that no matter what you do to me, you won't kill me." she finished, disappearing once more. Hazel eyes looked around for her, giving Tara the opportunity to sneak up on him once more. 'I'm already dead, sweetheart," she whispered before stabbing Freddy with her hidden blade. He howled in pain, and Tara pushed him over the railings, his blood spraying back on her as his body hit the ground with a sickening thud.

'Requiescat en pace, asshole," Tara called, starting to walk away before she bumped once more into a red and green chest. She narrowed her eyes and glanced up at the demon.

'Didn't you learn from the first time, bitch?" he said, grabbing her face with his bladed hand. '_You _**can't** hurt me. You're in **my** world, whether you _fucking_ want to or not!"

'Who said I would even want to be with your ugly ass?" Tara shot back, jerking away from his hand. 'Besides, what's your fucking problem with me being here anyways? If it were up to me, I'd be back in Chicago!" Freddy was about to make another attempt to kill her, but stopped when she mentioned moving to Springwood. Tara took a breath and crossed her arms.

'Now, while you're just standing there looking like a dumbass," she started once more, watching Freddy bring his bladed hands to his chest, and shoving his other hand in his pocket, looking Tara over. 'Let me spell something out for you; nothing, and I do mean **nothing **you do to me will kill me. The only thing you're doing by keeping up with your fuckery is pissing me the hell off." Tara paused for a moment, noticing that Freddy was no longer looking at her face. Just as she expected, his hazel eyes lingered on her chest and hips before lazily traveling upwards once more. A smile was playing at his lips, and Tara rolled her eyes. _Men are all the same, _she thought before punching the dream stalker square in the nose.

'I'd appreciate it if you kept your eyes on my face and not any where's else, you fucking pervert," she yelled, turning her back from Freddy, who was still grinning at her, despite being punched in the face. This gave him the opportunity to give her ass a once over, and decided that he liked what he saw. He tipped his fedora in her direction, chuckling despite himself.

'Damn, you really had me going for awhile there, toots." his voice rang out, and Tara continued to ignore him as she walked right back into the yard of the preschool as though she had been there the whole time. Ice sapphire eyes glanced around, confused.

'Was I dreaming again?" she mused, looking back up to the stars. It must've been at least nine or ten at the most, but she wasn't interested in sticking around all night. Sighing heavily, Tara ran to the side of the preschool and scaled the wall with ease until she was on the ceiling. _Wonder how there's an attic here, _she mused, finding an old hatch that must've been used in case there was a flood or a fire. Whatever the case, she fought with the rusty handle before it finally gave way, giving Tara a great deal of cuts on her hand to add insult to the injury. Ignoring her wounds, she lowered herself down and closed the hatch once her feet touched solid ground. Or, that was what she hoped before her foot went through the decaying roof below.

'Shit,' she hissed, finding a sturdy set of ceiling tiles to walk along until she found her new 'loft' as Katie had put it. It took a moment or two, but she soon found another opening that looked as though someone had purposely made it. Tara guessed that this might be the place, and jumped through, landing on her feet.

The room wasn't all that bad; all of Tara's belongings had been neatly organized on two metal shelves, her clothes hanging on an old pipe. A small bed was situated near two windows, the light of the moon pouring through. Tara glanced about once more, and decided that she could get used to this. With a prolonged sigh, she began to strip off her weapons, and started to store them in a file cabinet, but found that all her personal items and lingerie had been placed in separate drawers. She looked around, trying to find something to store her weapons before her eyes spied a maze of nails that had were still sticking out of wall.

Tara suddenly got an idea, and bent the nails easily, as they were already pliable, possibly from years of not being used. On each set of bent nails, Tara stored her knives, daggers, and even found a place for her father's throwing knives. The last thing she took off was her hidden blade that had been concealed under her sleeve. She grinned proudly at how she had designed the blade to be concealed under any kind of shirt. It really came in handy when you weren't up for wearing flowing sleeves or just wearing the vambrace above your clothes.

Her hidden blade had been given to her by her mother, just days before the night that she and her father were killed. Tears came to her eyes as she remembered her mother's warm smile, the unconditional love that she and her father showered upon their only daughter. Tara remembered on more than one occasion hearing her mother talk about her want for another daughter so that Tara would have company while they were away on contracts. But another daughter never came, and Tara remained the only girl born to Naomi and Kenneth Woodson.

Ice sapphire eyes glanced to the moon shining through the windows, and the hidden blade was momentarily forgotten as Tara tossed it over to her bed, walking closing the to window to look out. Her tears were also forgotten as she looked heavenward, and like the flickering candle in unrelenting darkness, she thought that she saw her mom and dad staring down at her. Eyes hidden behind alabaster eyes for a second, then opening once more to see that the vision she thought was there gone.

Tara sighed and turned away and began stripping off her clothes, first removing her boots and then her shirt and pants. Clothing fell to the floor like a whisper, and Tara was standing only in her bra and underwear. She looked herself over, noting the scars she had acquired over her living years. The wounds that Freddy had inflicted, however, had vanished as though they had never happened. Tara sighed as she removed the last of her clothes, walking over to the filing cabinet to pick out something to sleep in. It was true that she didn't need to sleep, but sometimes she did it out of curiosity, to remind herself what it was like to get a restful sleep.

She plucked out a black pair of undies and a white nightgown that she used to love when she was younger, and slipped them on before releasing her long red hair from its black tie. Cascades of dark red fell past her shoulders before reaching the lower half of her back, long fingers combing through her straight hair to get out some of the more stubborn knots. Satisfied, Tara sat down on the floor, resting her head on her knees.

'So, here I am again," she mumbled, not speaking to anyone in particular. 'Five years later and I'm still no closer to killing off my brother than I was as a kid." She paused, wondering what had brought on her saying such a thing. It was true that she disliked her brother for not taking up arms when their parents had been murdered- no, _slaughtered_- but she didn't downright hate him. She did, however, want revenge for his killing of her and many other of her assassin brothers and sisters. Why he would choose to stand against the Order that they were born into, Tara would never know. But it only deepened her anger and resentment towards the elder Woodson. She sometimes suspected that Andrew was jealous of Tara because of the attention she had gotten from their mother and father, but she never got around to asking him why it was that he hated her.

Tara scoffed as she thought this, knowing well why he hated her; it was because she was an assassin. Assassins and Templars were never the best of friends. She remembered confiding with an elder assassin about her dislike of not having a relationship with her last remaining family member, but never again spoke of it. Tara didn't know if she had a niece, a nephew, an extended family, or anything of the sort. She only knew that she was an outcast to whatever family she had, and Tara was not welcome back into the Woodson family anytime soon.

'Family," she muttered, looking to the moon as tears came to her eyes once more. 'I wish I knew what a family was." With these words, she stood from the floor and flopped onto her bed, not even bothering to pull the blankets up and over her. Like she had many times before this, she allowed herself to cry once more,clutching her mother's hidden blade tightly to her chest as though it were the only thing left in this world for her. And when she had no more tears to cry, Tara at last fell into a merciful and dreamless sleep.

_Or so she thought._

_

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**Author's Note: **Don't you just love the suspense? XD Many thanks to those that have reviewed the story. Please keep them coming! Also, the next chapter may be late in coming because I've caught a rather nasty cold and I'm in the process of preparing for a move. But I won't forget this story! I promise! Once more, thank you for reading! *hugs you all*_  
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	7. The Deal

**Author's Note:** I'm back! Did ya miss me? Thank you all for the new reviews! And guess what; I'm not sick any more! WOO! Also, at the moment, I'm getting distracted by the Castlevania series, so chances are, I'm gonna be churning out a new story sometime soon! Now, on with the show!

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Freddy grinned with sadistic glee as he absorbed the soul of an unfortunate teen that had wandered into his realm. The little fucker had been all big and bad when he first saw Freddy, but had resorted to screaming and crying when he realized that he was going to die one way or the other. _Just like all the others, _Freddy thought, clicking his claws together as he lit up a cigarette. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he remembered the girl that he had seen not long before the last teen.

Even though he had been in her dreams twice, Freddy still wasn't sure exactly who or what she was. He was still pissed that she had tried to use his world against him, and on top of that, she didn't seem to take a hit. _No pun intended,_ he added, thinking back on how he had checked her out. She was pretty, just like the other whores before her, but she was different in that she was already dead. Freddy made a mental note to find out just what she was before he found a way to knock the bitch off and take her soul.

A bit of white caught his eye as hazel eyes glanced before him. _Speak of the fucking devil, there she is, _he mused, looking closer at the girl before him. Very faintly, he could see scars on her right cheek through the veil of wine red hair. It looked as though someone had taken a knife and was trying to dig something out of her face. He figured that maybe the bitch had gone through a bout of depression and decided to take it out on herself.

Alabaster arms bore scars and pale marks that were a sharp contrast to her near flawless skin. From where he was standing, Freddy could see a black design through her almost sheer nightgown on her back. Around her shoulder blades was a phrase that he could barely make out, but guessed what it said; _nothing is true, everything is permitted. _

_The fuck is that supposed to mean, _he wondered as he watched the bitch sit there, completely oblivious to where she was or who was standing behind her. She apparently hadn't seen him yet, or she just wasn't paying attention. Freddy grit his teeth angrily; he _hated _being ignored and forgotten.

No sooner had he thought this, the girl in front of him finally stood up, using the handrail to pull herself up to her full height. Under one of her arms, she was holding something, but Freddy could tell for sure what it was. She tipped her head upwards, her long hair falling over her shoulders and reaching for the middle of her back. She was silent for a moment before she finally turned around to look at him.

'Welcome back, bitch. Did ya miss me?" Freddy greeted, flicking the butt of his cigarette somewhere to the side as he continued to click his claws together. Ice sapphire eyes widened momentarily before glaring at him.

'You again? What the fuck do you want now?" she snapped, and Freddy could have sworn he saw her eyes start glowing. He shrugged and walked a bit closer to her.

'Look bitch, I didn't twist your fucking arm and make you come here, so keep your bitchery to yourself!"

Tara scoffed and looked away, suddenly forgetting about her hidden blade that was still tucked under her arm. This made three times that she came into his world, and three times too many. She'd also lost count of how many times he had used 'bitch' around her, and Tara was beginning to think that it was his favorite word.

'Just say what the fuck you want, or leave me the hell alone, _Krueger_," she hissed, leaning up against the handrail. Freddy, for once, didn't know what to say at this, but he quickly got an idea of what to do with this little piggy. If he couldn't kill her, then maybe she could be useful for other things. He grinned at Tara, showing his dirty teeth as he crossed his bladed hand over his chest.

'Now that you've brought that up," he started, walking closer to Tara while noting that she didn't jerk away from him. 'I've been meaning to use you for something."

'And what would that be? Using me as a five dollar whore or something so you can get your rocks off? Or do you even have any?" Tara commented. 'Does the first line of 'Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire' fit the bill in your case?

'Ha fucking ha, bitch. Now shut it and listen up; the kids around here aren't afraid of me anymore. And fear is what keeps me in business." A dark, cherry red eyebrow raised at this, and Freddy was half tempted to throw the bitch off the catwalk just for that. 'Long story short bitch, I need you to bring me more souls so I can finish what I started!"

Tara stared at Freddy, biting the corner of her lip to keep herself from laughing at him. Bring him souls? Help this bastard kill so he can get souls? What kind of girl did he take her for.

'As fun as it sounds," Tara began, pretending to check her nails. 'I'm not interested in killing kids. Besides, I have better things to do and I _don't _work with anyone. If you want kids, then go out and find you some. Or, if you're wanting to play the part of daddy dearest, then get a bitch drunk and have fun, dude." she added with a smirk. Freddy growled and grabbed Tara by the neck, holding her dangerously close to the edge.

'You think this is all a game, don't ya bitch?" he started, one blade coming to rest below Tara's lip line. 'I _can't _go after the little piggies because no one is afraid of me! I'm fucking weaker than some whining little shit without their souls! That's why _you _need to kill for me. Once they're scared shitless, then you can go off and do what you usually do. Or, better yet, get the fuck out of my territory." Tara hadn't so much as flinched when Freddy flicked his blades dangerously close to her face. She blinked slowly, eyes ghosting over his face.

'So, I get the blood and you get the glory, huh?" she started, watching Freddy's anger melt from his face to that of satisfaction.

'That's the idea, toots," he replied. Tara was not amused; the fucker actually believed that he had won this argument? Not if she had anything to do with it.

'Then what's in it for me?" she threw back, wondering what it was that the dream master would promise in return for souls. Freddy's smirk turned to a scowl as Tara smiled sweetly and batted her eyelashes. 'You want something from me, then you better have something _for _me, _sweetie._" Freddy growled and racked his brain for something that would make her give in. Then he suddenly remembered the other kids that had come with her to Springwood.

'You're not interested? Fine, I'll start with the little bitch whores you brought with you." Tara's eyes widened when he said this, and Freddy grinned and winked at her. 'Thought that would get your attention, _sweetie_."

'If you so much as lay a finger on _any _of them-" Tara started, trying to lunge at Freddy, who easily held her away from him.

'If you really give a shit about them, then kill for me, and I won't touch them. You try backing out, then I'll start with the youngest and work my way up." he added, Tara biting her lip and looking away. She obviously didn't like this, but Freddy really didn't give a shit.

'Before I answer that, you gotta do something for me in return." she finally said, looking Freddy right in the eye.

'Lay it on me, kid," he replied, still not pulling her away from falling over the handrail. Tara took a breath and continued.

'There's... someone hunting the others and I down. He's from Chicago and his name is Andrew Woodson. If a bunch of kids start 'dying' around here, chances are he'll come running to try and finish me off. If you run into him while your hanging out here, do _not _kill him. Just tell me where he is, and I'll take care of it.

'Second, and this is the one thing I have to stress, if you get it in your mind to try and use me to kill _any _of the other assassins, I _will _kill you, even if I have to drag your ass to Purgatory or the real world to do it. And I can't promise that it'll be quick and painless." she finished, watching Freddy's face as it contorted in both anger and deep thought. 'If you don't kill the others and you let me know where Andrew is, then I'll help you. And after I've killed enough, I'll take the other assassins and leave Springwood for good, no questions asked."

Both assassin and demon stared at one another, each waiting for the other to back out of the deal, but neither made a move to do anything at the moment.

'Fine," Freddy finally said, pulling Tara away from the handrail and letting her go, Tara breaking her fall by bracing herself against the wall. 'But like I said bitch, you try backing out and you can say goodbye to your little friends."

'And if you try to kill any of them, you'll have a blade or two up your ass, ya bastard." Tara threw back, brushing some dust off of her mother's hidden blade. 'And besides, my name's not bitch. It's Tara, and I would appreciate it if you called me that."

'What? Call you bitch?"

'No, call me Tara." Tara corrected, glaring at him. 'Tara Woodson." Freddy stared at her and grinned again.

'Tara Woodson, huh? Same last name as the other guy. He someone special, like a fuck buddy or something?" Tara shook with rage when he said this.

'He's my brother, you sick fuck, and no, I don't care too much for him." she answered, crossing her arms and holding the vambrace that housed the hidden blade to her chest. Freddy's grin faded and he brought his blades back to his chest.

'Oh," he said, almost disappointingly. Tara rolled her eyes and looked away.

'So what happens now? You chill out here while I get my hands dirty or are you wanting me to hold your hand like a little kid and let you be my unwanted babysitter." she asked, smirking again. Freddy scoffed at the idea of being a babysitter, and more so at the thought of holding this bitch's hand.

'Just let me into your head and I promise to be a good boy until we find some little fuckers to kill."

'You mean to tell me you're going to be in my head twenty-four seven for the duration of this?" Tara almost yelled. Freddy clicked his claws together and pointed at the wall behind Tara. She turned and gasped as she saw little Chelsea sound asleep in one of the 'bedrooms' in the preschool, clutching her favorite stuffed cat.

'Remember the deal, _Tara_." he warned, putting both of his hands on her shoulders. 'You don't want anything to happen to them, do you?" Tara started to say something, but the words wouldn't come out, and she was left with a feeling of defeat. _Damn you to hell, Krueger, _she thought bowing her head.

_Been there, done that bitch, _Freddy replied in her mind. Tara jerked her head up, wondering how he did that, but decided that she would ask him about it later.

'Alright," she whispered, looking at the blades that pricked her skin slightly. 'But don't forget about your side of the bargain."

'Don't worry about me, bitch. You do your thing, I'll do mine." he replied, whispered in her ear. 'Now wake up, I'm getting bored."

Tara closed her eyes and opened them again, the sun pouring in from the window. Ice sapphire eyes opened to look about her, hearing Freddy's amused laugh in the back of her mind.

_Oh yeah, _he started. _It feels _**great **_to be back in business!_

'Yeah, yeah," Tara sighed, sitting up and rubbing her eyes, hidden blade momentarily forgotten as she pushed it and the blankets away from her. 'Don't let it get to your head, asshole." Small hands brushed her hair back away from her face as she swung her legs over the edge.

_Bitchy this morning, aren't we?_

'Shut the fuck up," Tara hissed, forcing herself to stand. 'Why to you care, anyways?" Freddy scoffed at this, and showed up in front of Tara suddenly.

'No reason," he started, glancing around. 'You know, I didn't wanna ask, but now that I'm here-"

'I thought you said you were going to be chilling in my head until we found some kid to kill?" Tara interrupted. Freddy glared at her then shrugged.

'That was the plan, but I haven't been out in the real world for awhile, so why not take a look around and enjoy the view?" he answered, watching Tara shake her head and walk towards the pipe where her clothes were hanging. 'Anyways, bitch, what's the deal with you and that Joseph guy?"

'What are you trying to imply?"

'Well, have you fucked yet or not?" Freddy asked with a grin.

'I don't see how that's any of your fucking business, asshole." Tara answered. 'So long as you don't show up in front of the others or try to draw attention to yourself, I guess I'm fine with you being around, seeing as I don't have much of a choice," she muttered, picking out a pair of jeans and her favorite shirt with silver butterflies. Freddy wasn't far behind her, sneering at her choice of clothes.

'Not much for bright colors, are ya bitch?" he commented, pulling a cigarette and lighting it up. Tara rolled her eyes and looked over her shoulder.

'Does it **look **like I do?" Tara replied, throwing off her nightgown and, without giving Freddy a chance to see anything, pulled on her clothes. 'And if you plan on smoking in here, I'd appreciate it if you kept it to a minimum. I don't need the others figuring out that I'm helping a burnt guy kill people." Freddy laughed and offered his cigarette to Tara, who looked from it to him. 'I'm not in the mood for smoking."

'Better start being in it, bitch." Freddy growled. 'Besides, don't worry about those little fucks seeing me; I'm in your head, remember?" Tara flipped him off and snatched his cigarette from him.

'Fuck you," she hissed, taking a long drag off the cigarette before handing it back to him.

'When and where, kid?" Tara chose to ignore this as she found her discarded ribbon and tied back her hair, letting a long strand hang in her face.

'Sorry Krueger," she finally said, looking at him over her shoulder. 'I don't give it away to anyone, especially people that take to calling me a bitch everytime I turn around." Freddy finished off his cigarette and threw it to the side. Tara didn't say anything about it and just focused on pulling her boots on, making sure that her jeans were neatly tucking into them. When she finally looked up, she noticed that Freddy was looking at her knives and swords that she had arranged the night before.

'If you want to take a look at them, be my guest. Just, whatever you do, don't cut yourself with them." She warned, Freddy turning to give her a strange look. 'Trust me, it's not pretty." With that, she turned for the door, forgetting about Krueger for the time being before she heard an unfamiliar voice mingling with the others.

_Must be another assassin, _Tara thought as she walked towards the sounds of the voices. Sure enough, Joseph and Katie were talking to a girl that looked to be no more than eighteen at the most with long brown hair and green eyes. She looked pale and tired, and Tara couldn't help but notice four long scars on her arm, just above her elbow. Casual seemed to be her dress of choice, and Tara guessed that maybe she was fresh out of high school by the looks of it. Just by looking the girl over, Tara knew that she was no assassin that she had ever seen. If she was, then she must've been-

'Tara, there you are." Joseph started with a smile. 'We were just talking about you. This is Nancy Holbrook, a new addition to the family."

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Hehe, there I go again! Another cliff hanger! SO! Now that we all know what Freddy's wanting from Tara, what's gonna happen next? Will Tara off the guy if he pisses her off too much? Is Joseph going to get laid? And what about Nancy? Is Tara gonna blow up at the thought of someone new coming around? We'll find out next time! Please keep the reviews coming and I'll do my best on new chapters!


	8. New Blood And Revelations

**Author's Note- **Hurray! New chapter! Sorry it's taken so long for this to get out there, but I've just moved lol Finally I'm unpacked so I can finally get back to updating! =D

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'Nancy, this is Tara Woodson, another assassin you'll be working with," Katie informed the young girl standing beside her. With a warm smile, Nancy stretched out a small hand to Tara, who regarded her with barely contained hostility. There was something about this girl which didn't sit right with Tara. What it was, she didn't know, but she quickly decided that she would rather not find out. Nonetheless, she managed to keep her temper in check as she looked from Nancy's hand to her face.

'I'll shake you hand once I know I can trust you," Tara started, batting Nancy's hand away. The brunette girl looked hurt, but wisely chose to say nothing more than a curt nod. 'So who will you be training under?" the ice sapphire eyed assassin continued. Nancy, who had not been paying any further attention to Tara, was suddenly confused and unsure how to answer Tara's question. She cocked her head slightly and raised an eyebrow.

'I'm sorry?" she replied, almost wincing as Tara's stare hardened.

'Who recruited you, kid? Whoever you were recruited by will be the one to train you."

'But, but I wasn't recruited," Nancy protested. Now it was Tara's turn to raise an eyebrow.

'You weren't recruited?" She finally inquired after a moment of silence. Once again, Nancy gave a mute shake of her head.

'Then why are you here?"

'They told me to come here."

'_Who _told you to come here?"

'I don't remember their name," Nancy replied as Tara stepped closer to her.

'If you don't know their name, then how and why did you come here? Is that too difficult for you to answer?"

'I... I used to come to this school when I was a kid. And I'm here... because I want to be an assassin." Nancy managed, Katie and Joseph ready to intervene should Tara turn violent towards the newcomer. Ice sapphire eyes stared deep into Nancy's green orbs as Tara circled her slowly.

'You want to be an assassin," Tara repeated. 'And you used to go to this school. Is that how you knew where to find us?"

'At first, I only wanted to see my old school one more time, then I saw the Assassin symbol and knew who you were."

'So you weren't summoned by anyone."

'No, I came forward on my own." Tara started to ask why she had told her that she had been told to come here, but she chose to say nothing about it. Instead, she was interested in exactly what this girl could do for the Order.

'What skills can you bring to our Order, kid?" Tara questioned stepped in front of Nancy and crossing her arms once more. The girl looked to the floor and then back to Tara.

'I have none to give," she answered truthfully.

'Then for what reason should we initiate you?"

'I learn fast and can do anything I put my mind to," Nancy replied. Tara clucked her tongue and gave Nancy a once over stare.

'We've tried to recruit and train others your age, and that alone proved to be an ill decision. One of them betrayed us by siding with the Templars. But, since you are already here and know who we are, I don't have a choice but to let you stay with us, lest you betray us as well." Tara explained, mentally kicking herself for saying such. Nancy's face lit up.

'That means I can be an assassin?"

'I said you can stay. That doesn't make you an official recruit. Later, we'll talk more and see if you aren't another hopeless case like others before you. Katie," Tara called, looking to the now calm elder. 'introduce her to the others, then show her where she'll be sleeping." Katie nodded and motioned for Nancy to follow, who did so without question. Joseph started to follow but Tara grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

'You, me, outside now." she hissed, dragging him down the hall.

'OK, OK, I'm coming kid. Sheesh," he yelped, jerking his arm away from Tara and following her outside. Once out of the building, Tara pinned Joseph against the wall and glared at him.

'What the hell possessed you and Katie to let that girl in here?" she growled, punching his shoulder. Joseph looked away, then looked back to her.

'Tara, in case you haven't realized, we are almost extinct. There are no other assassins to help us, and those that are assassins are working for the fucking Templars."

'Joseph, we agreed that we wouldn't take on any recruits until we were settled **AND **had established a new underground. We need all hands on deck and can't spare anyone to train the kid!" Tara argued, throwing her hands in the air. Joseph crossed his arms and stared at Tara.

'Are you going to be this way with every new recruit we take on?" he asked when Tara finished. 'Look, I know we had planned to wait before taking new recruits, but at the moment, we need all the help we can get. If we don't get any new assassins or promote Chelsea to intermediate soon, we may as well kiss the Assassin Order goodbye."

'Chelsea isn't ready yet, Joseph. If there is anyone who is ready to be promoted, it's Melody." Tara argued. A fierce look jumped into Joseph's eyes when she mentioned Melody.

'No, Melody isn't ready." he protested. Tara rolled her eyes.

'Joseph, she's been a intermediate for close to three years now, well over the requirements. You've seen her; she has great potential to be our new scout. She can't stay an intermediate forever I hope you know."

'I said she's not ready and I meant she's not ready." Joseph said sternly. 'If I promote her, she'll think that I won't be her trainer anymore."

'Oh for Christ's sake, Joseph! You know that she won't think that! You just want to hold her back and keep her from advancing." Tara pointed out, trying to drive her point in by touching Joseph's shoulder. But instead of letting himself be touched, Joseph jerked away from Tara and glared at her.

'I won't let her become the monster that I have or let her become like you." he grumbled turning away.

'What's that supposed to mean?" Tara called, confused as to what brought that statement into play. Joseph looked back at her with a cold stare.

'In case you've forgotten," he started, crossing his arms. 'Melody, like all kids her age, learn from the adults. Whose to say that she won't try to follow in yours or my footsteps? I won't sit around and watch her become what I have, and I sure as hell don't want to see her become as heartless and cruel as you are." he finished, walking out of the room and leaving a stunned Tara to stand there alone. _Heartless. _He had called her heartless. She had been chastised many a time by Joseph, but never once had he called her heartless, or even cruel.

'Wow," a gravelly voice started behind her. 'That was pretty damn cold."

'Shut up, Krueger." Tara replied, taking care to hide the hurt in her voice. Freddy chuckled and walked behind her.

'You don't think it's frustration from not being laid by you that made him say that, do ya?" he asked. Tara glanced to him and walked away.

'I thought I told you that that is none of your business, dumbass," Tara threw back, opening a portal to her world before walking through, Freddy right at her heels. As the rift to the living world closed, Tara willed the scene of Purgatory to change from an abandoned city to that of her old bedroom in Chicago before turning back to the demon behind her. Freddy's hazel eyes were wandering this way and that as he looked around, almost in awe at Tara's ability to change her surroundings.

'Damn," he mumbled, clawed hand resting at his side while the other resumed its usual place in his pocket. 'Nice place, kid. A little too girly for my tastes, but I guess it will do."

'If you'd like, I'll send you back to your world. It's only a thought away, you know," Tara said, walking to her old desk and sitting in her favorite green chair. Freddy looked at her with a weird look and, with another roll of her eyes, kept her irritation in check.

'It goes like this," she started, willing the wall behind her to disappear for a moment. 'To the left of me is Paradise, or Heaven as you may call it. To my right is Inferno, Hell. Right now, we are in Purgatory; right smack dab between the two places. Despite what people may have told you in the past, Purgatory is the place where you're put to be forgotten until the Final Judgment. The dream world is aligned with Purgatory, as you may be familiar with. Since neither of us are truly dead, we can only wait here until Hell or Heaven decides they want us on their side." Tara explained, pausing to let her words sink in. 'But, since we're both guilty of killing and enjoying it all the way, I guess I don't need to say who I think will snatch us up when it gets the chance."

'Tell me something I don't know bitch," Freddy grumbled, leaning against one of the remaining three walls. Tara raised a dark eyebrow at him.

'Well, who pissed in your cheerios this morning?" she questioned, crossing her arms and leaning back. Freddy shot her a glare and flipped her off with his gloved hand. Tara smirked and shrugged her shoulders.

'Like you said, when and where," Tara added, purposely sounding flirty at the end of this, hoping to get the demon even more pissed off. The growl that came from Krueger let her know that she had said the right thing. 'Let me guess, you're pissed because you haven't gotten any puss in God knows when."

'You give me too little credit kid," Freddy started, staring at the floor as his claws raked against the neon blue walls. Tara waited for him to say something else, but he never did.

'So," she began, clucking her tongue. 'You see that new kid that came around?" Freddy gave a silent nod. 'There something about her that doesn't sit right with me. The fact that she came forward on her own to be an assassin makes me wonder if someone sent her here."

'If only that were the case," Krueger mumbled to himself, Tara overhearing what he said.

'You know her?"

'Let's just say that I've had my fair share of bitchery from the little fuck."

'Past girlfriend that cheated on you?"

'Hell fucking no, kid. I wouldn't touch that with a ten foot pole. Not after what her bitch of a mother did and with her being such a slut."

'Do I want to know?"

'Depends on how bored you are," Freddy started before appearing behind Tara. One of his hands touched Tara's shoulder, and in a split second, Tara gasped as a scene from the past played out in her mind.

_October, 1974_

Tara found herself in a boiler room when she opened eyes that she did not remember closing, the heat almost unbearable as she heard the creak of a door opening. Peering past a maze of pipes, Tara observed a man throwing something into the largest furnace in the room. Despite the heat in the room, he wore a dirty brown jacket over a green and red sweater. When he closed the door to the furnace, his piercing hazel eyes stared directly at her, something that would have made her blood run cold if she was still alive. With a smirk, he turned and walked to a workbench and started to tinker with something on the table. Tara guessed that he was working with metal after hearing the clinking of blades...

'Blades?" she whispered, suddenly realizing where she was. Freddy had touched her shoulder and she had been assaulted with an onslaught of memories not her own. That must've meant that she was in his past.

'Freddy looks so... different." she murmured, guessing that the man she was staring at was Krueger. Freddy seemed, for the most part, human; his burnt skin was replaced by slightly tanned skin and he even had dirty blonde hair. Apart from his human appearance, he looked about the same as she knew.

The sounds of a frightened sob caught her attention as Tara glanced to her right. There, cowering in a corner, was a little girl no more than eight years old. She was wearing a green jumper and a white sweater, her small frame trembling in obvious fear. Tara glanced from Freddy to the girl, unsure why he would have a child in a place like this.

'Hey," Tara whispered, catching the girl's attention. 'It's OK, I'm not gonna hurt you." she reassured when the child shook her head. She crouched down before her, extending a hand and managing a warm smile. The girl looked from Tara's hand to her face, and then glanced to the occupied Freddy, who was whistling a cheerful tune despite the girl's obvious fear. Without a moment's hesitation, the girl scrambled towards Tara and clung to her like a baby bear would its mother. Tara held the girl, smoothing her blonde hair from her tear stricken face.

'What are you doing here, little one? Shouldn't you be home with your mommy?" Tara questioned, gently forcing the girl away. Frightened blue eyes flooded with tears stared into her ice sapphire eyes, and before she answered, she looked back at Freddy to make sure he wasn't looking in her direction.

'We have to get out of here!" the girl whispered in an airy voice, grabbing Tara's hand and pulling her to her feet. 'We have to hide before he finds me again!" Tara started to question her further, but since she couldn't pry her hand from the child even if she wanted to, Tara allowed herself to be pulled down a hallway. The girl would constantly look back, making sure they weren't being followed before the screeching of something being dragged over metal filled the air.

'Oh no," the girl whispered, hugging Tara's leg. 'He found us! Don't let him hurt me, please!" Tara looked from the girl to the place where they had heard the screeching and blinked in surprise to see Freddy walking purposely towards them.

'There you are, you ugly little shit," he growled at the girl, grabbing her by the hair and dragging her away from Tara.

'No! Let go, let go!" the girl shrieked, her small hands trying to pry his hand out of her hair. Tara walked quickly to Freddy and grabbed his shoulder.

'Let her go, Krueger!" she hissed. Freddy kept walking as though he never even heard her, and Tara tried to snatch the girl away from him, but gasped when her hands passed right through her. She stopped in her tracks, watching as the girl was mercilessly dragged back into the furnace room.

'Dear God," she murmured, running full speed towards the room, willing one of her throwing knives to come to her hands before she threw it forcefully at Freddy's head... _only to have it go straight through him. _

'Jesus," she whispered, hearing the petrified screams of the young girl who was now completely at the mercy of Freddy. Tara frantically searched for an opening in an attempt to get to the girl, but found no such thing. Screams of pain echoed through the room, and Tara had no choice but to watch as the girl was beaten first by Freddy, and then stabbed with his glove. She shook her head, anger fuming inside her as she tried once more to get to the girl.

'Stop! Leave her alone!" Tara cried, pushing angrily at the pipes, but was unable to pass through them. Holding the girl by her throat, Tara watched as he once more readied his glove, and without a bit of remorse, stabbed the girl's eyes and pulled them out. Blood dripped down his arm as Freddy stared at the girl's eyes before plucking them off the blades of his glove.

Tara shook with rage as she watched the young girl's body fall to the ground, and with her, Tara found her willingness to help this... _monster _kill for more souls fall too.

'You fucking _bastard_!" she screamed, backing up from the pipes and charging straight at them, easily breaking through. Once again, Freddy acted as though he hadn't heard her as he carelessly opened the door to the furnace once more and tossed the girl's mutilated body inside before closing it. Only then did he acknowledge her presence, and hazel met glowing ice sapphire eyes as Tara took hold of him and slammed him against a wall.

'Why? Why did you kill her, you fucking piece of shit!" Tara growled, eyes glowing brighter as she allowed her rage to flow through her. Freddy gave her that horrible smirk as Tara willed a short sword to come to her hand before an equally strong hand grabbed her and forced her to stop.

'You were the one that wanted to know what they did to me," he hissed back, Tara and Freddy's faces mere inches away from one another. Before he could say anything else, Tara heard the sounds of people pulling up outside the building. Tara started to go see what was going on until something smashed through the nearby window and rolled across the floor. In her shock, Tara realized that it was on fire. Some of the flames had transferred from the smashed bottle (_A Molotov, _Tara thought.) and burned at Tara's boot before she quickly extinguished them by vigorously smothering the flames with her arm. Looking back at Freddy, Tara couldn't help but realize that he, despite having killed a child before her eyes, needed her help. He was trying to avoid the flames as more Molotov came through the smashed window.

'Freddy!" Tara called, instinctively covering her mouth to keep from inhaling the smoke. 'Where are you?" The flames jumped higher, and Tara could go no farther towards him as his hazel eyes looked once more to her. Watching carefully, Tara noticed that there seemed to be something floating near Freddy, apparently talking to him. Whatever it was, Tara didn't have time to get closer as she was forced outside by some unseen force. Looking around, she saw a mob of angry looking people watching as the boiler room was completely engulfed in flames...


	9. Final Melody

**Author's Note**: I know it's been forever since I last updated, but I have been going through a rough time with a rather rough breakup with my boyfriend. I'm doing a bit better, but I'm still getting over him, so please give me time to get back into the swing of things. I promise I'll be back to normal soon! =)

Also, in the month of August until September, I'll be going to California to take a much needed vacation. I won't be updating until I get home from that in August, but I'll try and get as many chapters in as possible before I go. For now, on with the show!

* * *

Tara blinked several times, trying to clear her mind of what she had just seen. The smell of burnt flesh still filled her nostrils, and for a moment she thought she saw ashes on her shirt and hands.

'My God," she murmured, feeling Freddy's hand slid down and away from her shoulder.

'Now you know," Freddy growled, raking his claws down the nearby wall in apparent frustration. 'Happy?" Ice sapphire eyes looked in his direction and Tara's anger bubbled to the surface once again. This bastard had beaten, mutilated, and then unceremoniously disposed of a child's body! Worse; he had had the audacity to commit such acts in her presence! It was time that Tara showed him what happened to those that either pissed her off or dared to challenge her. It was time to give him a taste of his own medicine.

'You really have some serious balls to show me how you got torched, you little fucker," Tara started, closing her eyes and reopening them, eyes glowing brightly as they had moments before. Freddy looked into her eyes with slight interest and snorted.

'Well I didn't twist your arm and make you watch it, bitch," he answered. An inhuman growl erupted from Tara as he spoke. Without warning, she leaped from her chair and tackled Freddy to the ground before taking hold of both his hands and forcing them above his head, her hidden blade extending and held mere millimeters from his throat. Glowing eyes stared into Freddy's burnt face and hazel eyes as the assassin girl straddled his hips, breathing heavily.

'Alright, you sick fuck! You've been a pain in the ass since you started coming around here and hanging around in my fucking head. Well guess what? You're days of being a sorry ass are over! If you know what's good for you," Tara began, never once breaking her stare from the dream demon's face. 'You'll get the fuck out of my head and run back to your world **RIGHT **now. And that little deal that you and I supposedly had? Forget about it, because the deal's off as of now." The silence that followed was deafening, the only sounds that of Tara's breath.

'What did you say, bitch?" Freddy suddenly said, glaring directly into Tara's eyes.

'You heard me. **No** deal," Tara repeated, watching as Freddy's hazel eyes turned blue with anger.

'You fucking slut!" He hissed, rolling both of them until he was on top, wrenching his hands free from Tara's grasp. 'You still think this is a game, don't ya?"

'I could give a flying fuck less!"

'Then it looks like I'll have to change that, won't I? Hmm?"

With these words, Freddy called upon his powers over the dream world and summoned a vision of a small form curled into a ball, sleeping soundly. Peering closer at the sleeping figure, Tara realized in horror that it was little Melody.

'No!" she screamed, jumping up and racing towards Melody, but was instantly suspended in the air with barbed wire. The sharp wire cut painfully into Tara's arms, and the more she fought, the deeper they embedded themselves within her.

'You asked for this, bitch," Freddy started, laughing at Tara's pain. 'Now just hang out here until I get back. Shit, you might even enjoy the show as much as you like morbid shit!" Tara growled and struggled, but no matter what she did, she couldn't get free of the malicious and painful grip of the barbed wire. Smiling maliciously at the young assassin, Freddy stepped through the foggy image of the peacefully sleeping Melody.

'You bastard! Just wait till I get to you! I swear to God I'll rip your fucking heart out if you touch her!" Tara threatened, finally slipping out of the confines of the barbed wire and fell to the metal floor with a thud-

_Metal? _Tara looked down, running her fingers absently over the catwalk that seemed to appear when she fell. A piercing scream echoed through the boiler room, and with speed rivaling a cheetah, Tara got to her feet and sped off in the direction of the scream, knowing full well who it belonged to.

'Hang on Melody!" She called, jumping over pipes and running up walls to get to ledges. At the rate she was moving, it didn't take long at all for Tara to come upon little Melody cowering in a corner, Freddy's blades splayed and ready to go in for the kill...

'Hey Krueger!" Tara called, catching his attention. 'Didn't anyone ever tell you to pick on someone your own size?"

'You..." he growled, looking from Melody to Tara before grumbling in frustration. 'Can't have dessert before dinner, now can I?" he grinned, walking towards Tara. Glancing behind him, Tara watched Melody pull something out of her nightgown, and with pride, she realized that Melody had a small dagger. _That's Joseph's girl,_ she thought before she was snapped back to reality as Freddy brought his blades down and across Tara's chest. Hissing, Tara summoned her swords and charged at Freddy, effectively knocking him back to give Melody a chance to attack and then flee.

'Melody, now!" Tara called, Melody nodding in agreement. Just as she had been trained, Melody followed Tara's previous movements of running up a nearby wall and throwing her knife straight into Freddy's cheek.

'That's what you get for messing with an assassin!" she taunted, landing to her feet like a cat. Freddy pulled the knife from his cheek and tossed it aside, glaring at Melody.

'Kids these days," he commented, pointing above Melody with his gloved hand. 'No respect." Melody stared at Freddy in confusion before glancing above her, giving Freddy the opening he needed to pull his deadly trick. Tara gasped in horror as she saw millions of sharpened pipes falling down from the ceiling straight towards little Melody as she stood frozen in fear.

'Melody!" Tara called, running towards her. Time seemed to slow down as Tara made a leap for Melody in an attempt to push her out of the way before it was too late-

With a sickening crunch, the pipes scored direct hits on Melody, who could only scream in agony as she was pinned to the catwalk. Tara stopped beside the fallen assassin, falling to her knees as she gently gathered Melody's head in one hand and raised it softly.

'Tara..." Melody groaned, trying in vain to remove a pipe from her chest. 'I can't move..."

'I know, I know... just be still, I'll take them out." Tara murmured, keeping her voice as steady as possible. Murmuring something in a language unknown to Melody, Tara willed the pipes to dissolve into nothing, but to her dismay, she was now able to see the full damage that had been done on the tiny body before her.

Three of the pipes had made a line of three jagged holes in Melody's chest, while others seemed to have hit her belly and limbs, making it seem as though someone had shot her millions of times. _My god, _Tara thought shaking her head to keep tears from coming to her eyes. _What kind of fucking monster do you have to be to do something like this to a kid?_

_ Someone like you, dipshit, _her mind sarcastically reminded her. Tara ground her teeth in anger, bowing her head as ice sapphire eyes looked once more to Melody's pale face.

'Tara?" Melody whispered, managing to take one of Tara's hands in hers. 'Are you mad at me?"

'No, of course not, sweetie," she replied, smoothing Melody's chestnut hair from her face. 'What makes you think I am?"

'You're crying," she pointed out, taking Tara by surprise. The older assassin thought for a moment and then forced herself to smile as best she could at the younger.

'I'm not mad, baby," she started. 'I'm very, very proud of you. You're being so very brave right now." Melody smiled weakly, her eyes clouding over.

'Does that mean I'm an assassin now?"

'Yes, Melody. You're an assassin now. You can come with Joseph on contracts now, whenever you want to."

'Yay," Melody said, trying to keep her voice even. 'Tara?"

'Yes, Mel?" Tara replied, holding her hand tighter. Melody bit her lip and took another breath, obviously thinking hard.

'Can I come to Purgatory with you now? So I can see the other assassins?" Tara smiled, tears falling down her cheeks.

'You can come with me whenever you want, Melody." she replied. With this answer, Melody smiled one last time and closed her eyes, releasing her final breath. Tara waited for what seemed to be an eternity, hoping that the little one would open her eyes once more, but knew that she would not. Bowing her head and pulling little Melody into her arms, Tara leaned her cheek against Melody's chestnut hair.

'_Che la morte ti dia la pace che cercavi. Requiescat in pace_..." Tara managed, following the custom of saying farewell to a fallen assassin. As soon as she had finished, Melody's body faded away from Tara, her spirit going straight into Freddy, who had been watching the entire thing.

'You take that whole Latin shit seriously, don't you bitch?" he commented, brushing off his sweater's shoulder. Tara was silent as she knelt there, refusing to look at Freddy. 'Oh, so now you're playing the silent game, huh? Well, let me be the one to mention that I'm not the one that decided to back out on our deal." he added, walking to the front of Tara. Ice sapphire eyes were devoid of all feeling as Tara sat there, refusing to move, much less to breathe unneeded breaths.

After a moment or two longer, Freddy clucked his tongue and forced Tara's chin up with his index claw so that her could look into her tear stained face.

'So, are we gonna be a good little bitch and do what Freddy says? Or do I need to bring in another little piggy from your 'family'?" Freddy spat, Tara's icy eyes staring into his hazels. She studied him for a long moment, as if frozen in time before she swallowed hard and took an unneeded breath.

'Alright Krueger," she whispered, almost inaudible. 'You win... I'll kill for you." As she said this, Tara felt as though she had signed over her soul to the devil himself as Freddy grinned maliciously.

'Good girl," he said, letting Tara's head fall back down. 'I'll be seeing you tomorrow night. Now, **WAKE UP!**"

Tara's eyes snapped open to the sounds of bloodcurdling screams coming from downstairs. Running at an inhuman speed, Tara nearly bumped poor Katie back down the stairs as she was running up.

'Tara, thank God I found you!" she started, shaking with visible fear and shock. Tara looked at her, confused as to what would make her look so frightened.

'What's wrong?" she asked, Katie staring into her eyes, tears threatening to fall.

'Tara, it's Melody! Something... I don't know how to explain it! She was screaming bloody murder a few minutes ago, and then before we knew it-" Katie couldn't finish her sentence. It took a moment, but everything suddenly clicked in Tara's mind; what she had seen happen in her 'dream' was real.

'No," she whispered, pushing Katie to the side and dashing down the stairs at breakneck speed. 'Melody!" she called, running to where all the assassins (she purposely excluded Nancy) were huddled. Pushing Blair and Tracy aside, Tara looked to the floor and froze.

Melody lay deathly still on the floor, her purple nightgown stained in the front with blood. A large puddle of blood had already formed under her, and her pale face was contorted in fear. Tara dropped to her knees as she stared at the little girl, the young girl who had already seen too much in her short life, and had met her end equally soon.

'Good God," she heard Tracy choke. 'Is there no mercy in this world?"

'How could this have happened?" Blair whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks. 'We were all right here! Joseph was on night watch! He wouldn't have let someone inside without us knowing!"

'She was just a little kid..." Nancy murmured, one hand covering her mouth. 'She didn't deserve this."

Tara said nothing as the others continued to talk over what had happened, murmuring of how they were to tell Joseph when he came down from the roof...

'Tara, what are we going to do? We can't let Joseph see her, not like this!" Blair inquired, wiping away her tears as she hugged Tracy comfortingly. Nancy nodded in agreement, her eyes wide and scared as she looked from Melody to Tara, and then to Blair and Tracy. Tara followed her stares, and stood at last, sighing softly.

'First things first, we need to get her... cleaned up." she started, trying to keep her voice even. 'After that, we'll let Joseph see her one more time before we dress her in Assassin robes and... give her a proper burial," Tara finished, walking away from Melody and the others.

'What about Joseph?" Tracy asked after a moment of silence. Tara paused for a moment and looked back to her fellow assassins and Nancy.

'I'll be the one to tell him. Don't worry yourselves with that. And, whatever you do, don't let Chelsea see this. Have everything cleaned up before she wakes up." Tara ordered, walking away to let the others attend to the cleaning of Melody's body. Slowly, she made the trek up the stairs, not sure what to feel as thoughts of her dream flowed back into her mind.

_It's all my fault, _Tara thought sadly as two more tears ran down her cheeks. _I shouldn't have backed out on the deal. I should have known that Freddy would kill her. I should have known..._

'Mommy?" Chelsea's voice called out. Tara looked down and saw the blonde assassin looking up to her, clutching her favorite teddy bear. 'Mommy, why are you crying?" Tara swallowed the lump in her throat, but couldn't make herself speak as she fell to her knees and hugged her Chelsea to her. Chelsea, sensing Tara's discomfort, hugged back, puzzled as to what would make her adopted mother cry.

'Chelsea, I love you so very much!" Tara whispered, smoothing her hair gently. 'Never forget that! No matter what happens, I swear to God that I'll never let anything hurt you, ever. If you're ever in danger, scream for me and I'll protect you. I swear!" she vowed fiercely, hugging Chelsea tighter to her.

But in the back of her mind, a little voice reminded Tara that the possibility of her being unable to defend those that she loved would always be there. No matter how strong and how resilient Tara was, there were some things in this world that she cannot and would not be able to stop. And it was in this way that she felt all the more weaker as she heard the cruel laughs of Freddy Krueger echoing in the back of her mind.


	10. Forgiveness And Andrew

The day passed slowly for Tara as everyone comforted one another. They knew loss, yes, but this was different for the remaining assassins; Melody was more than just their own. She was the little sister of their family, just like little Chelsea. And now she was gone, just as quickly as she had come into their lives.

The agonized screams of Joseph could be heard from the outside, and it had taken Tara, Katie, Blair, and Tracy all that was in them to pull him off of Melody's body. He had insisted on cleaning her body himself, but after gentle urgings from the others, Joseph resolved to go into one of the makeshift bedrooms to mourn in peace. For fear that he would do the unthinkable by taking his own life, Tara volunteered to stay with him until he was well enough to attend the burial of their fallen assassin.

And so it was this that Tara was doing as she kept a watchful eye on Joseph, watching for any signs that he would hurt himself or others. She sighed and sat back in her chair as she crossed her arms over her chest; he had been sleeping peacefully for the most part, but ever so often, he would cry out and thrash in his sleep, resulting in Tara soothing him the best she could. Ice sapphire eyes watched her mentor sleep feverishly, sweat on his brow as he lay there.

As close as they were, Tara still didn't have the heart to tell him what had really happened to Melody. She came close to telling him when she had broke the news to him in the first place, but thought against it for worry as to what Freddy would do if she did. _Freddy... _The bastard had rightly been unusually silent all day. If he had been cracking jokes like he had been doing in her head two days before, then she probably would have had to jump into Purgatory and attempt to kill him to make him shut the hell up.

Joseph groaned in his sleep as his head fell to the side, and Tara was brought back to reality as she slowly leaned forward. Green eyes, which had been hidden behind golden eyelids, suddenly opened and looked around before they rested on Tara.

'Welcome back," she murmured, blinking slowly. Joseph said nothing, only stared blankly at Tara as he rolled onto his side to face her. 'Hanging in there, big guy?"

'I've been better." he replied.

'I'd say so," Tara remarked, not meaning to say this out loud. Joseph gave her a long, hard stare before sighing and rolling onto his back, closing his eyes once more.

'I still can't believe she's really gone..." Tara heard him whisper and, despite herself, Tara found herself rising from her chair and coming to rest at Joseph's bedside. She looked down at him, not knowing what to say as green met ice blue when Joseph opened his eyes slowly. Despite the hurtful words that had been said just hours before Melody had died, it was perhaps through this meeting of eyes that a message of apologies was passed and a reconciliation was made. So it really didn't surprise Tara when she lay down beside Joseph, curling into his welcoming arms as they resolved to just lay there, to reminisce on the years that they had spent with Melody and with each other.

They had always been close, ever since they first met so many years ago. And not long after that meeting, Tara met and fell in love with Ghost. However, no matter how much she adored and cherished Ghost, Tara could never deny that there was a special place in her heart reserved for Joseph alone. He understood that they would never be with one another, no matter what they said to the head assassins, but nonetheless, they stayed with one another. Even in death, Tara still remained with Joseph, unable to leave the world of the living without seeing him one more time. It was in this time that she realized that she, despite having come to see him as her father, loved Joseph. Of course, everything changed when Joseph developed a crush on Katie, and though this hurt Tara, she respected his choice of choosing someone much closer to his age. _There's no place for me with him, _Tara painfully reminded herself, choking back an urge to cry at thinking this...

'Tara," Joseph suddenly said, bringing Tara back to Earth, to the present moment that she shared with Joseph.

'Yes?" she whispered, laying a small hand on Joseph's chest, her dark red hair rubbing against his chin. Joseph took her hand in his own, and took a deep breath before he looked into her eyes.

'You know that I've always loved you, don't you?" he asked, a certain urgency in his voice that Tara had never heard before. She stared at him for a moment and managed a small smile, ignoring the lump in her throat.

'Of course I do," she replied. Joseph's eyes narrowed slightly; this wasn't what he wanted to hear. Tara sensed this and came close enough to kiss him, but didn't. Before Joseph could ask what she meant, she continued, 'I have always loved you Joseph. I've told you this before, three years ago. But it was not our fate to be with one another, at least, not in my lifetime, despite what we wanted.

'The limits of the fragile thing called life continues to bind us within this world, and has even claimed the souls of those that cannot escape from it. But as long as I am permitted to walk both worlds as my own, I swear on this day that I will **never **stop loving you, Joseph. Even if you choose to be with another, to let them be the recipient of your love, I'll always be right here beside you, in case you ever need me." Tara finished.

Joseph stared at her, tears in his eyes and a smile on his face as he crushed Tara in his embrace. She had no idea what that very statement meant to him, nor could she ever comprehend the words that he wanted to say in return, but he let the words go unspoken as he held her, stroking her back and her hair gently. In this time of loss for him, Tara still knew how to soothe his aching heart, how to bring back his carefree nature. And it confirmed what he had always suspected since her spirit returned to him just hours after she had died; death could steal Tara of her body and it could try and keep her away from him, but it could not take her soul, her heart, or Tara herself.

'You never have to worry about that, TW," he finally said, pulling away a bit. 'No one will ever take you place-" A sharp knock cut Joseph short as both he and Tara sat up in surprise.

'Joseph? Tara?" Katie's voice called. 'We're ready now." Both assassins exchanged glances at one another, and rose from the bed. It was time to say goodbye to Melody.

* * *

As it often was, Chicago was dreary and cold, two things that he hated, especially when he hadn't brought an umbrella with him.

'Well this is just fucking perfect," Andrew Woodson muttered under his breath. The newsman had called for partly cloudy skies, but no rain. Just gusty winds coming from the chilly Lake Michigan. There were days when Andrew welcomed the rain as it was a refreshing way to unwind as he listened to it hit his apartment window. However, on this particular day, he didn't care for it, the reason being that he had to walk three blocks to get back home from the Chicago Police Station. Gritting his teeth and wrapping his worn brown jacket tighter around him, Andrew began the trek home as he found his mind wandering over what had happened that day.

Chief Charles Bradshaw had chewed his ass out again for the fourth time this week over not filing his paperwork in the right file and even went so far as to press as to what had been on his mind lately. Andrew never had an answer; he would only look back at the chief with tired blue eyes. It was true, however, that his mind had been elsewhere as of late. There was a reason that he hadn't been able to file his paperwork for the past few weeks, and there was a reason why he didn't look forward to the hearing that was expected to come about sometime soon; the night that he killed his sister was still fresh in his mind.

What happened that night was something that Andrew had not wanted everything to boil down to; rather, he was hoping that he could talk to Tara and get her the psychiatric help that she so desperately needed. Of course, finding out that she was the one that had killed his wife **and **was an assassin wasn't what he was hoping for either. Nonetheless, he had tried to reason with her, first by offering the fact that he still loved her, then by asking what their parents would have wanted. Bad mistake; Tara's unnaturally blue eyes began to glow in anger, and in a fit of rage, she had tried to kill him.

_It was all in self defense, _the good cop inside him assured. _If you hadn't pushed her away at the last minute, it would have been you that was put six feet under, not her._

_She was an assassin, an cancer that needed to be wiped out, _the Templar inside him also said. _It is not their fate to stay in this world. The Father of Understanding forbids it. _As much as Andrew hated to admit it, the Templar inside him brought up valuable points, but none of them condoned the killing of his only sibling. To this day, he still felt as though it was still his fault, that he should have become an assassin like his parents had wanted him to. But instead, he became an outcast the second he was initiated into the Knights Templar.

'You are no son of mine," his father had said not long after hearing the news.

'Never darken our doors again," his mother echoed, tears in her eyes as she held the still young Tara in her arms, shielding her from the view of her elder brother. He still remembered looking at his little sister, seeing the sadness in her eyes as she watched him go out the door and disappear from their family. Perhaps that was why he also felt responsible for the deaths of Kenneth and Naomi Woodson; he never had the chance to reconcile with his parents before they were killed.

He had tried many times in the past, before she had become the notorious 'Vendetta', to talk to Tara, to try and build a relationship with her, but she would hear none of it. Templars and Assassins were sworn enemies ever since the Crusades centuries ago. Andrew hadn't even _seen _Tara until he heard about her suicide attempt and hospitalization, and had gotten permission to see her, but was shocked to find that her psychiatrist was brutally murdered, and Tara nowhere to be found.

'Why the hell am I thinking about her, anyways?" Andrew wondered aloud as he was splashed with dirty rain water from a passing car, his jeans efficiently soaked from the angle to the knee. He cursed under his breath and brushed his dark hair out of his eyes just as he was walking up the concrete stairs to his apartment. All he wanted to think about today was having warm, dry clothes, a good hot meal, and a nice cup of coffee while he watched Monday Night Football. Waving at the doorman and exchanging greetings, Andrew made a beeline for the stairs and climbed up three flights before he came to his door; 131, his little oasis.

He unlocked his door and sighed as he crossed the threshold, tossing his keys on the end table and pulling off his soaking jacket before hanging it on the rack nearby. His Siamese cat, hearing his master enter, came running to Andrew, making a show of rubbing his seal colored body against his soaked legs.

'Hey Moose," Andrew muttered, bending down and petting the blue eyed cat lovingly. 'How was your day today?" Moose meowed in response, purring as Andrew scratched his chin. 'I take that it was good then." he said with a laugh, standing and looking at the bills on his kitchen table.

'Gotta remember to pay those tommorow," he reminded himself, grateful that tomorrow was payday for him. Those extra hours he had spent at the station had best paid off or there would be hell to pay. Andrew grunted at his thoughts and pulled off his wet shirt, letting it fall to the floor before shedding his shoes, socks, and blue jeans and disposing of them in the same manner. Walking to his wardrobe, he pulled out his usual evening wear; a pair of blue pajama pants and a white tshirt that would be covered in cat hair by night's end. As soon as he was dressed, Andrew picked up his wet clothes and arranged them on his curtain rod so that they would dry before he would toss them in the hamper to be washed.

Sighing and walking back into the kitchen, he pulled out a cold soda before setting it down on the counter, Moose mewing away as he jumped up and proceeded to lick the wet can.

'Hey, get your own soda, mate!" Andrew scolded with a smile, a box of Chinese takeout in his hand. Letting the white box rest on the counter, Andrew opened up the cabinet drawer and pulled out a bag of cat food for Moose. 'Come on there, big guy," he called, shaking the bag and pouring some into Moose's food bowl in the floor. Moose promptly jumped to the floor and proceeded with eating his dinner while Andrew replaced the bag of cat food and heated up his own dinner for the night.

As he waited for the microwave to ding, Andrew's phone suddenly began to ring. He walked to wear it was hanging up and picked up the receiver.

'This is the Woodson residence," he started, listening to the voice on the other end. Words were exchanged, and Andrew's brow furrowed in thought as he listened carefully.

'That's not possible, though," he answered. 'She's dead. I saw her die!" More words came through, and in anger, Andrew hung up the phone and brushed back his hair, the microwave dinging, indicating that his dinner was done. 'Looks like we're not getting our Monday Night Football tonight, Moose." he called, opening the door to the microwave and pulling out the carton of food. 'Your old pal here is going on a roadtrip... to Springwood, Ohio."


	11. Temptations

I'm BAAAAACK! I've been gone for awhile, but I'm finally back! WOO! So here is the long awaited next chapter of _Of Ice And Blades_! Oh, and other news, my internet is gone, so I may be gone a lot more, but otherwise, I'm going to try and update as quick as I can churn them out and edit them! In the meantime, ON WITH THE SHOW!

**Translations**

_Laa shay'a waqi'un moutlaq bale kouloun moumkine_- If anyone has any idea what the flip this means, please tell me! (It was first heard in Assassin's Creed 2)

* * *

Night had already fallen, and with it gathered the assassins who all stood in an abandoned lot right across from the preschool. All of them wore traditional assassin robes that their ancestors had once worn; Tracy, Blair, Joseph, and Tara wore black, and little Chelsea wore white. Only Nancy was clad in a black dress that Blair had loaned to her. Melody had been dressed in gray robes and, like the other assassins, had her hood pulled up over her head. Her knives and hidden blades were laid out beside her, wrapped in white cloth.

Melody's body rested on a makeshift 'altar' that consisted of an old art table with two-by-fours piled up underneath, and then broken chairs and desks around the perimeter. Blair, in her left hand, held a burning torch crafted from one of the two-by-fours. Tara glanced to the Assassins that stood to her left and to her right, and inwardly sighed. _It's now or never,_ she decided and stepped forward before turning to her grieving allies (she purposely forgot about Nancy.).

'Laa shay'a waqi'un moutlaq bale kouloun moumkine. These are the words that all assassins live by. We work in the dark to serve the light, for we are assassins. For centuries, assassins have lived and died to keep the Templars from taking control of everyone and everything. They spread lies and order the Assassins to die out, to fade into the pages of history. But when other men blindly follow truth, remember-"

'Nothing is true," the assassins, excluding Nancy, replied in unison.

'Actions are judged as much as a person is, and no matter how much one wishes for it, free will is not theirs. They are forever shackled to the confines of law and order, but not the assassins. For when other men are limited by law or morality, remember-"

'Everything is permitted." Tara nodded.

'Nothing is true, everything is permitted. These words are the heart of our Creed, and like our ancestors before us, we must live by its words least we die in battle as our little one has. Melody Chandra Herslip joined the assassins when we rescued her from the world that had discarded and left her for dead. And now, we give her to God, who will protect her as we protect each other, and in His name we must carry on." Tara finished, taking the torch from Blair. She then turned to look at little Melody, who looked as though she were sleeping. With a heavy heart, Tara took a breath and said three more words before she threw the torch onto the altar.

'_Requiescate in pace,_" she whispered, walking back to her fellow assassins as the fire slowly consumed Melody's body. Everything was silent except for the crackling of the fire until Katie started to hum Melody's favorite song 'Always With Me'. Slowly, the other assassins joined in, their harmonic humming the saddest thing Tara had ever heard in her life. Tears fell down her cheeks, and for a moment, she wished that she were still alive to feel something in this time of loss. Her heart did not ache as the others did, nor were her tears heartfelt. Inside, she still blamed herself for the death of Melody, and without warning, she turned and walked away from the others, willing a rift to Purgatory to appear so that she may leave the world of the living; a world she did not belong in.

As expected, Freddy was waiting there in Purgatory, smoking a cigarette as he leaned against the wall of a gray building nearby.

'Bout time your ass got here. Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting for you, bitch?" he grumbled.

'Shove it, Krueger. I'm not in the mood for your fuckery. Can we just get this whole killing some kid done and over with?" she snapped, her assassin robes disappearing to reveal her usual outfit. Freddy grinned and tipped his hat.

'Cutting right to the chase. I like that in a girl," he remarked, changing the scene to the boiler room. 'Come on," he said, beckoning Tara to follow him with a sharp claw. 'You just might enjoy the view while you're here."

Tara wasn't entirely sure what to say as she followed Freddy through the halls of the boiler room, her bright eyes darting here and there with curiosity.

'What's wrong?" Freddy suddenly asked, taking her by surprise. 'Never been in a boiler room?" Tara didn't want to admit it, but it was true; there was nothing interesting in boiler rooms that attracted Tara to them. She only passed by them, maybe even stood in the doorway, but never fully ventured into one during her lifetime.

'You could say that," she whispered, half to herself, half to Freddy. The dream demon turned and looked at her for a moment, almost as though he couldn't believe she'd said that. A moment or two passed between them before she felt one of her hands being taken in Freddy's burnt hand.

'Come on already, princess," he murmured with a grin. 'Don't make me hold your hand all night." _I actually kinda wish you would_, Tara thought, following Freddy with a small smile on her lips. _Wait, what? What the hell's going on with you, kid? There's nothing between you and Krueger. He's a bastard; a baby raping bastard, _Tara scolded herself. As they walked, Tara questioned herself as to what made her think that she would want someone to hold her hand in the first place; she wasn't alive, therefore she couldn't be in a serious relationship, _and _if she knew what fires could do to someone, Freddy probably didn't even have _anything _that she wanted or needed anyways.

_Besides, _she reminded herself. _This guy is a little _**too**_ much of a dick for my tastes._

* * *

It was nearly nine when Andrew finally found himself a motel to spend the night in at the edge of Springwood. Bout time too, considering that he had a mewing cat and a blistering headache to start with. The motel's charges were almost free, and the owner **ADORED** cats, so Moose would be in good hands while he went about his business. After allowing her to hold Moose and keep an eye on him for an hour or two, the kindly woman pointed him in the direction of a good diner nearby, a library, and a 24 hour convenience store.

So with new found knowledge and an empty stomach, Andrew patted Moose's purring head goodbye and went off to find the diner that the woman, who he learned was named Gloria, had pointed him in the direction of.

'Don't worry about this little one, Mr. Woodson!" she called, all the while Moose was on her shoulder (_He never did that for me! What gives, _Andrew silently mused.). 'I'll take good care of him."

That scene still drew a smile to his face as he drove through the near empty streets of Springwood. It seemed strange to him that the streets were empty; it was Saturday, so where were the kids? Why weren't they all together going to the movies or something? Andrew prayed that what he had been told wasn't true.

As he pulled up in front of the diner, Andrew's mind wandered back to the cryptic phone call he had received in Chicago. What had the caller meant about 'something strange happening here'? And what was it about a possible Tara Woodson sighting? She was dead. Dead, dead, dead. There was no way that someone could see her, but as part of the Knights Templar, he had no choice but to investigate all assassin activity, no matter what part of the world it was in. But this was soon, too soon after Tara's death... it was enough to make him wonder just what the hell was going on.

By this time, Andrew had already gone inside and was sitting at an empty booth, blue eyes tracing the counter top until a young waitress came up to him with a smile.

'Hi," she started. Andrew glanced up to her and smiled back.

'Hey there, how are you?" he asked. The girl blushed slightly and brushed a strand of dark hair from her face.

'Good, just wondering when things are gonna pick back up in this backwoods town," she replied, smoothing out the apron of her uniform. 'So, can I get you anything to start you off?"

'Yeah, a coffee with one sugar and one cream if you don't mind. And whatever your special is today."

'It's pretty good; just lasagna with garlic bread, nothing special." Andrew and the girl shared a laugh.

'That will do just fine, Miss..." Andrew had completely forgotten that she had a name tag, but the girl just laughed again.

'Nancy. Nancy Holbrook," she said, reaching a hand.

'Andrew Woodson," he smiled back as he shook her hand. Inwardly, he kicked himself. He was already catching the attention of a girl probably way too young for him... But Nancy didn't say anything about it, and merely laughed and walked off, yelling to the cooks on the other side to whip up some lasagna while she poured some coffee for him. Andrew glanced once more out the window, watching the silent night outside. And while he looked outside, his mind was plagued once more with thoughts of his younger sister. She couldn't have been any older than Nancy was...

'I hope you don't mind if I join you," Nancy asked, setting down his coffee and a can of ice cold coke. 'I'm on break, plus everyone else in here is a little too creepy for me." Andrew laughed and waved to the seat in front him.

'Be my guest," he invited, Nancy promptly doing so and opening her can. Andrew took a sip of his coffee, blue meeting green as he noticed Nancy was looking at him too. He glanced away as he put down his coffee, the smell of fresh lasagna filling the air.

'So, what brings you here to Springwood?" Nancy asked suddenly. Andrew jumped slightly and smiled once more.

'Is it that obvious that I'm from out of town?" he grinned. Nancy shrugged.

'Well, you just came off as being someone that's not from around here," she explained. 'We really don't get a lot of visitors, anyhow." Andrew nodded.

'Ah, that explains how you would know. Well, I'm here because..." he trailed off, Nancy excusing herself to pick up two steaming plates of lasagna and coming back to him. 'I'm here on a business trip, if you will." Nancy nodded in understanding.

'You're a cop right?" she asked. Andrew was once again taken by surprise, and Nancy nodded to the pager on his hip.

'Yeah I am." he answered. Nancy smiled and nodded once more. 'What about yourself?"

'I'm just finishing with school," she began, taking a bite out of her lasagna, Andrew mirroring her action. 'Once I'm done, I'm hoping to get into ITT for art."

'I've heard that's a pretty good school. My parents wanted me to get into law like them, but I was more of a law _enforcement _kinda guy." he replied. Nancy looked up in interest.

'Lawyer parents? That must make you pretty rich," she laughed. 'I personally never had the brains for it, so I just stuck with art." Andrew shrugged.

'If you consider being rich as in living in an apartment with a Siamese cat that would rather sleep in dirty clothes than his cat box, then I am." Both he and Nancy laughed at this, Nancy nearly choking on her coke.

'You have a cat?" she asked. Andrew nodded. 'I always wanted a cat, but my mom was allergic to them."

'My dad was more of a dog kinda guy, but where he and Mom were always working... we never could have pets. My sister-" Andrew stopped, not wanting to bring Tara into the conversation. Nancy looked at him, curious, but decided not to ask.

'I grew up in a single parent home," Nancy said. 'Never really had the chance to meet my dad." She paused to take another bite of lasagna. 'What about your parents?" Andrew wasn't sure how to go about answering that as he took another bite, slowing chewing his food.

'I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked that," Nancy apologized until Andrew shook his head.

'It's OK, I don't mind. There was... an accident a few years back." A lump formed in his throat. _Accident? Yeah, and your grandma was Adolf Hitler, _he chided himself. Nancy's eyes turned soft as she touched his hand with one of hers.

'I'm so sorry," she whispered. 'I know how you feel. My mom... she died a few years ago too." Andrew looked at their hands for a moment and looked to her.

'I'm sorry to hear that," he replied. From that moment on, no more words were passed as they both finished their meal, Nancy gathering their empty plates and Andrew's long empty cup and taking them to the counter where another waitress promptly cleaned them up. When Nancy glanced at her, she paused as she recognized her from the preschool. She started to call to her, but the girl shook her head and glanced to Andrew, before walking away. Nancy looked down for a moment and then turned back to Andrew, but found him gone. The only things left of him was the bill paid in cash, and a note written on a napkin:

_Sorry I left so soon, but I really needed to get back to _

_ the motel. It's been a long day. If you can, meet me at_

_ the library at 12 tomorrow. I'd really like to keep talking to you._

_ Great food,_

_ Andrew_

_ P.S. Hope that $20 tip helps with school._

Nancy smiled as she read the note, and couldn't help but wonder what she said right to make him want to see her again. And the very next day too! So wrapped up in what had just occurred, Nancy never caught on to when she heard someone clearing their throat behind her until she was tapped on the shoulder. There, standing behind her with their arms crossed, was Tracy Gordon.

'You do realize who that was, right?" she asked, brushing the purple streak in her hair out of the way. Nancy shrugged.

'Should I?" Tracy rolled her eyes.

'Look, I'm not telling you who you can and can't talk to, but I'll let you know that that is one guy you don't want to get caught with. Especially if the person who caught you is Tara herself." Tracy explained, not meaning to sound harsh.

'What wrong with that?" Nancy asked, genuinely curious. 'Is it against the law for me to be friendly with a guy?" Tracy glanced about them, and then look back at Nancy.

'Yeah, considering he's a fucking Templar," Tracy whispered, starting to walk away. 'Don't worry though, I'm not gonna say anything about you talking to him, but I can't guarantee the others will show the same mercy." With that, she disappeared into the kitchen, without another word to Nancy.

* * *

_How the hell did I just get talked into this, _Tara thought as she stared at the place where Freddy had led her to. Whatever the hell he had in mind certainly wasn't clicking, especially since they weren't in the boiler room anymore. Instead, they were in what appeared to be a club of sorts. All around her, people were dancing, talking, and pretty much just having a good time. But most of the action seemed focused on one guy in particular, a guy about eighteen or nineteen at the very most. Tara gave him a once over, taking in his jock appearance and decided that she'd **definitely **seen better.

'Alright bitch, it's this simple; you already know who to take out, so get out there and do your thing." he said, pushing her into the crowd.

'Psh, don't I get a please? Besides, what's so different from you doing it?"

'You really think I would want to when I can watch you take him out?" Tara was confused.

'So he's not dreaming?"

'Of course not, why do you think I can't do it? Now get out there already." Freddy growled. Tara stared at him for a moment before sighing and willing her appearance to change before she left. She gave Freddy only one moment to take a look at her; she wore a low cut black shirt with a short denim skirt with knee high boots. Her hair was much longer, reaching her butt almost before she turned to Freddy for a moment.

'Well, like they say; you don't send a man to do a woman's job." Without another word, she walked through the rift and found herself in the middle of a dancing crowd, everyone paying not a bit of attention to her. Smiling like a vixen, she waltzed past everyone until her target could get a good look at her. Just as she expected, his eyes went straight to her midriff, and a grin came to that tan face. As much as she hated it, Tara couldn't help but keep his attention by turning from him and swaying her hips a bit more than she usually did as she walked to the middle of the room, just as Black Label Society's Life, Birth, Blood, Doom began to play. The jock followed her every step of the way as she slowly let herself start dancing, rolling her hips to the beat.

It wasn't hard at all to act sexy for him; she'd often had to do this to bring in her male targets so she could deliver her own sexy brand of killing. And that was what she was planning as the heads of other men in the room turned to watch her dance; bring him close, lure him out of the room, make him think he was gonna get lucky, and then take the horny bastard out. Ignoring the attention she received from the other men, she kept her eyes locked on his grays, knowing that the strobe lights made her ice sapphire orbs look hypnotic to him. Winking sultrily at him, Tara waited until he was mere inches from her and then slipped away into the crowd, right as the song ended and all eyes looked away.

'This better be worth it," Tara thought aloud, glancing behind her to make sure her target was still following. Like a love struck puppy dog, he was right there. 'And I better get some compensation for this." She took a sharp right and was in the back alley, the perfect place to kill him unnoticed. Tara quickly let down her hair and tossled it so a strand or two covered her eyes, then leaned against the wall to wait for him. It didn't take long for the guy to come outside and, holding back a unimpressed scoff, she watched him brush back his hair and straighten up his jacket. This dumbass had no idea what he was getting himself into.


	12. Pain And Pleasure

**Author's Note: WARNING WILL ROBINSON! WARNING! THIS CHAPTER HAS A NAUGHTY SCENE THAT SHOULD NOT BE READ BY YOUNGER CHILDREN! AWKWARD AS IT IS, IT IS STILL NAUGHTY! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!**

* * *

'Hey there," the jock said, walking up to Tara so that they were mere inches away from each other. Tara looked up at him, locking eyes and trying not to gag as she got the full force of alcohol on his breath.

'Well hello there," she answered, smiling sultrily at him. He grinned back at her, brushing his hair back with his free hand.

'I hate to say it, but baby, if you're not new around here, then I must spend too much time on the court, cause you are fucking **hot**." he said, trying to sound charming, but to Tara, he sounded cheesy. But still, she humored him and let one of her hands come to touch his face.

'Well maybe you're just not looking hard enough," she offered, flirting openly as she pulled him a little closer. That sucker took her hint and came close, one hand coming dangerously close to her crotch. Normally, Tara would've killed him just for his audacity, but she curbed that urge by letting the touch stay there, and faked a moan when he finally touched her.

'So, what else have I not been looking at?" he asked, Tara grabbing his shirt roughly.

'Too many things," she replied, kissing him forcefully. Good move; that horny bastard fell for it hook, line, sinker, and hell, the whole damn pole. Right as he started kissing her back, Tara let one of her arms wrap around him, a parody of an embrace. As fun as this **could** prove to be, Tara was already bored with faking being into him.

'You wanna see what _you've_ not been looking at?" he asked, pulling back and starting to unzip his pants. Tara shrugged leaned to whisper in his ear.

'Why not?" she started, hearing the jock gasp in surprise. 'I always did like the color of blood." As Tara pulled back, she retracted her hidden blade from his stomach, watching him fall to his knees as she looked down at him then, making sure he was watching, licking his blood off her blade.

'What... what the **fuck** are you?" he managed, trying to get to his feet before Tara kicked him to the ground, holding him in place with her high heeled boot.

'Oh, I'm sorry, did I ruin your night?" she started, kneeling down right over him. 'Too bad we didn't get to have some fun," Tara pouted, digging her heel into his chest as another blade went through the guy's chest, barely missing his heart. 'Besides, they always did call me a Black Widow." Once more, she cut him, over and over. A malicious grin came to her face as she relished in the sounds of his screams. _Just like the old days_, she mused, her eyes glowing in excitement. Just like all those times before, a cloud of red came over her, but Tara wasn't complaining. It had been much too long since she'd killed anyways, so this was a good way to let off some steam. _This time_, Tara thought with sadistic glee, _this time, pain won't stop me. _It was then that Tara noticed that she had attracted an unwanted audience; before her was a group of young teens that couldn't have been more than sixteen or seventeen at the very least. In the back of her mind, Tara had a thought that she would be taking a risk in killing more, but at the moment, she couldn't help herself.

_It was time for the Vendetta Killer to strike one more time..._

* * *

A deep, dreamless sleep held Andrew captive, even when the insistent shaking of an unknown being attempted to rouse him. Shaking off what sleep remained within his head, blue eyes opened slowly, focusing on Gloria shaking him violently.

'Mr. Woodson, you have to wake up!" She said frantically. Andrew took a glance at the clock; the angry red letters screamed one o'clock.

'If Moose got into you dirty laundry, don't worry. He does that all the time," Andrew reassured, hoping that that was all that was wrong. However, Gloria's head shook and without wasting a minute longer, she grabbed the remote to the T.V off the nightstand and turned it to a channel. There, with a banner reading Breaking News at the bottom, was a news report that sent chills down Andrew's spine.

'This is Valerie McIntyre reporting," a pretty brunette woman started. 'I am standing outside a local teen hangout in downtown Springwood where an apparent killer is holed up inside.

'As we speak, police are attempting to make contact with the attacker to negotiate the release of numerous hostages held inside this nightclub. Just two hours ago, Springwood Police responded to a desperate call for help before the caller stopped talking abruptly, leaving police to assume that she is among those who have been murdered. Just out in the alleyway behind me, the bodies of nine teenagers were discovered. Sensitive viewers may want to turn away." It was then that Andrew's eyes went wide at the sight of the bodies; each had been apparently hacked apart, and then ripped open, stuffed with trash, glass, and rocks, sewn back together with rusty barbed wire...

It...couldn't be possible.

The woman on T.V abruptly turned back to the nightclub and then turned to the camera.

'We've just been informed that police have made contact with one of the hostages. They have confirmed that the attacker is gone, but has urged police not to enter the club-" Before she could finish, Andrew gently took the remote from Gloria's hand and turned off the television before grabbing his jacket.

'Mr. Woodson?" Gloria asked. He patted her on the shoulder and pulled on his shoes quickly, smoothing out his wrinkled jeans and shirt.

'Don't worry, Gloria. Take care of Moose until I get back." he said, walking quickly towards the front door. 'This better be a damn copy cat," he finished.

* * *

From where she had perched herself on the nearby building, Tara watched the commotion outside the club, and wondered if she should make an even bigger one by killing the last remaining waitress that was being escorted from the building wrapped in a blue blanket. In her right hand, she twirled a throwing knife, arm muscles tensed and ready to throw it, but she decided against it and returned it to its rightful place at her side.

'I guess that's enough excitement for now," she thought aloud, still gleeful and excited as she had when watching the unfortunate bitches fall to her blades. She suddenly laughed at this thought, letting her head fall back as she did. 'Damn, I'm a sick fuck," Tara giggled. Standing up once more, Tara skipped a bit, her boots clicking against the ground lightly as she spun on her heels. Killing someone always made her feel happy, especially if it attracted attention like now.

'Well this is a change from your usual bitchiness," a gravelly voice said, Tara's mood not deflating a bit. With an innocent smile, Tara turned and noticed Freddy looking over the edge, admiring what she had done.

'_Please_ tell me that you saw what I did," Tara asked, walking towards him, hair bouncing as she came to rest beside him, leaning against the dream demon. 'If you missed all that, then you seriously have no idea how fun it was. That show **deserves** an encore." Freddy looked to her slowly, wondering if maybe Tara had taken some sort of happy pill that made her this talkative and ecstatic. A grin crossed his face as he ruffled her hair and handed her a cigarette.

'That ain't enough for you?" he asked, using one of the blades on his clawed hand to brush away a strand of hair that had fallen into Tara's face. As red lips took a drag off the cig, cherry eyebrows raised in surprise.

'Enough?" Tara said, exhaling the smoke. 'I could go all _**fucking**_night if I really wanted to. Anyone else you have in mind to kill?" Now it was Freddy's turn to be surprised.

'I knew you'd be useful for something," Freddy grinned, watching Tara mischievously take his hand and lead him away.

'Come on then, princess. Don't make me hold your hand all night." she said, remembering what he had said to her mere hours ago.

_This can't be happening, _Andrew thought, finally pulling up outside the club in record time. He gritted his teeth as he watched body bag upon body bag wheeled out of the club. Knocking on his window caught his attention, and Andrew rolled down his window enough to see that it was an older policeman.

'Can I help you sir?" he asked Andrew. Andrew nodded and pulled out his own badge, showing it to the officer.

'Yes, I'm with the Chicago Police, investigating the alleyway murder?" he tried to sound convincing, but the older cop didn't seem to be buying it.

'Son, this murder just fucking happened. How the hell did a Chicago boy get here that quick?"

'I've been in town for awhile, Officer...?"

'Gayheart."

'Office Gayheart. May I take a look at the crime scene?" The officer stared hard at Andrew, mustache soaked with rain.

'Now let me warn you boy; we don't take well to outsiders. There's a certain way we do things around here, and we don't need no city boys poking around in this-"

'All due respect, Officer Gayheart, but the description of the murders is a match to a string of similar murders in my hometown. I don't want to intrude, I only want to confirm that this is the work of the same killer-"

'The Vendetta Killer, I know. That was a hell of a massacre." Gayheart remarked before looking around him. 'Look, I'm gonna get my ass chewed out, but since you're the real deal and got probable cause, I guess it can't hurt to let you take a peek. Who knows; maybe the Chief would learn a thing or two about this from you." Andrew nodded.

'My thanks," he started, Gayheart moving from the door so Andrew could finally get out. The officer snorted in response and said something about city people and led him past the crowd of people and yellow tape. Cold stares from the other officers made Andrew feel a little out of his element, but he wasn't complaining. _This may be my only chance to-_ he stopped as he took in the sights of bodies before him, CSI still taking pictures.

'Damn," he whispered. A thump on his back came from Gayheart.

'You think this is bad, you should see the inside. There's guys still in the john puking from it all. So what you think about this?" Andrew took a quick look, noting the barbed wire, the blood, the missing eyes...

'The Vendetta's modus operandi was to hack victims apart, then rip open the chest cavity and stuff them full of whatever was at hand. Once finished, the victim's eyes were removed and then the bodies were sewn back together with rusted barbed wire. Judging from all this... this is definitely her work." Gayheart and other officers listening in were impressed.

'So the killer was a woman?" one called to Andrew. He nodded.

'Yeah, a young girl to be exact. Believe it or not, the killer was only fifteen when she started her killing spree. Everything went pretty silent after a few months back."

'What happened? Did you catch her or is she still on the loose?"

'No, she's not on the loose. I was chasing her up on a rooftop before she slipped and... well, I don't think I need to spell out what happened after that." Andrew tried his best to finish the brief tale with a different ending, but couldn't. A couple officers came by and gave him a comradely thump.

'That takes some serious balls to chase down someone that killed so many people like that." One of the younger officers said.

'Damn good thing she didn't lay into you too." another chipped in.

'Alright boys, that's enough story telling for the night. We have our orders; let's get this cleaned up before the Chief gets here." Gayheart called, the remaining policemen returning to their appointed tasks. He then turned his attention to Andrew, who was still trying to force the lump in his throat to go away. 'Everything alright there?" he asked. Andrew nodded and looked back at him.

'Yeah, yeah everything's fine. Just... telling that story brings back a lot of memories that I'd rather not remember." Gayheart's expression turned sympathetic.

'I understand. Everyone here in Springwood knows what it's like."

'I still can't believe that of all people that had to be killed by the Vendetta-" Andrew choked. 'Sorry, I don't normally do that." Gayheart thumped his shoulder.

'It's alright there, son. I understand." he murmured. 'I lost my own son not long ago to a killer like the Vendetta... Even when you think you've gotten past grieving part, you still feel that pain for years after."

'True that," Andrew said after a moment. A deep silence befell the officers before static started up on Gayheart's radio.

'All units, all units respond. Nine- one- one call just came in about three blocks from your location. Address is 1426 Elm Street." All the officers went pale at the last part of that call; _Elm Street. _ Andrew didn't ask what the commotion could be about, but a look from Gayheart told him that it was best that he never asked.

'You heard the lady; everyone to your squad cars! Leave the investigators to their work and let's ride!" Every officer did as they were told without protest, and Andrew was impressed at how they all seemed to move as one whenever doing something. 'That means you too, Woodson!" Gayheart called, grabbing his arm and directing him to his own car. 'Just follow me and keep up. This just might be the same killer."

* * *

For Tara, killing people made her happy and excited like a kid on Christmas Day. For Freddy, however, it gave him power and strength. But on this night, it was different. Sure, he was getting the glory while Tara got the blood, but there was so much more that was going through his head. And seeing how sexy Tara was covered in blood was one of them.

It was hard not to look at her, really; covered in blood, Tara seemed to move with liquid grace, the drying blood on her clothes not slowing her down in the very least. Freddy guessed it was where she had killed so many times in the past and had gotten used to it. But it wasn't her movements that he was watching...

He leaned against the nearby wall, smoking a cigarette and tapping his claws against the pink, blood stained wall as Tara finished off her last victim. Those blue eyes of her would've have blinded anyone for sure, as bright as they were glowing. And, he couldn't help but note, if any guy was as fucked up in the head as he was, they would've gotten a hard one just by watching how Tara moved and the expressions she made when blood was spilled upon her.

By far, Freddy enjoyed watching her lick the blood from her blades the most, and the confines of his pants was getting uncomfortable as his eyes remained on her body...

'I know you're looking Krueger," Tara called, somewhat playfully as she looked over her shoulder. Sure enough, the front of her was just as bloody as the back, and she even had a fair bit of blood on her face. With one hand, she wiped it clean and looked back at him, almost expecting him to call her a bitch or something. But he didn't... in fact, he didn't even _want _to at the moment.

'Well?" she called again, walking closer to him until she was able to press herself against him. Krueger blinked and took his cigarette from his mouth, resting his bladed hand on her hip.

'Well what?" he asked, feigning not to know what she wanted. Tara let one of her hands rest on his chest before it began to make it's way down to his groin. A vixen's smile crossed Tara's features, and without warning, she began stroking the bulge in his pants slowly but deliberately.

'You know Krueger," Tara started, standing on her tip toes so that she was mere inches from his face. 'If you wanted to fuck me, all you had to do was ask." Her words surprised her, as she never outright said such things to anyone. Hell, she had never even _told _him that killing sometimes turned her on. A grin came to the dream demon's face as the hand that was previously on her hip made a trip South. Tara would've kicked his ass if he had done this when they first met, but since she kinda figured that he was just as interested in the fucking concept as she was, Tara let it slide. _Besides_, she thought. _Even the undead killers need their fix sometimes. _

'And you're being serious about that?" he started, his fedora covering his eyes. That vixen grin never faded from Tara's face.

'I'm _deadly _serious," she whispered, kissing him fully. Freddy froze for a second, taken aback by the suddenness of Tara's kiss, but was quick to respond with that same fierceness that she demonstrated.

The room felt as though it had been set aflame, but Tara was not complaining in the least. All she knew was that her clothes were feeling horribly uncomfortable and she wanted- no, **needed** this, especially after all that she'd done so far. _After killing God only knows how many people in one night, I think compensation is in order, _she thought.

She didn't quite register when they came to rest upon the bloodstained bed, but then again, Tara never was one to pay attention to the little details in life. Tara did, however, know that she was on her back looking up at Freddy. She never viewed herself as being submissive enough to be on the bottom when getting some action, but Tara decided that no harm could come from it, so long as Freddy knew what he was doing...

'Bitch, this ain't my first rodeo," Freddy growled against her throat, leaving vicious bite marks that would have left some serious hickies in the morning if Tara was still alive. Krueger seemed to get the picture, and tried biting a little harder. Tara groaned and pushed him away.

'Alright, enough already. It's time to show you how it's done," Tara grumbled and rolled them so that she was on top. Never giving Freddy a chance to complain, Tara went straight for his neck and bit down, nearly choking on the taste of burnt flesh. _Aw well, _Tara thought, drawing a bit of blood and licking it away slowly. _Can't have your fucking cake and eat it too, I guess. _

'I was just doing that, bitch!" Freddy finally said, his claws digging into Tara's hip as he held in it in a vice grip, clearly liking this. Tara sat up and rolled her eyes.

'Well the way _you _were doing it was wrong. Besides, whatever happened to chivalry? You're not the only doing this."

'It died because women killed it. And I don't give a shit how I was doing it. Whatever happened to you being a good little slut and-"

'Finish that sentence and I'll leave," Tara threatened, the hand she had been previously using to grope Krueger's crotch suddenly holding him in a vice grip. A hiss tore itself from his clenched teeth, and after glaring at Tara for a long moment, he finally let his head fall back to the pillow beneath him.

'Fine," he murmured. 'But you better know what the fuck you're doing."

'Bitch, this ain't my first rodeo," Tara said, mimicking the way he had said this to her. 'So why don't you be a good boy and hang on for the ride?" Not giving him a chance to answer, Tara removed her bloodstained shirt. Predictably, Freddy's eyes went straight to her chest. _Men, _Tara mused as Freddy's clawed hand wandered up to touch Tara's breast through her pretty red bra. _They're so predictable. _Tara's blue eyes slid closed as Freddy touched her chest. On contact, Tara returned the favor by stroking the front of his pants softly, teasing despite the slight hisses of pain that escaped her every once in awhile. Rough as he was, Tara wasn't complaining in the least; after all, this **was** Freddy Krueger and **not** some lusty hot guy on some romantic movie. And, just from touch alone, Tara knew that he was certainly _gifted_ in more ways than one.

And so she did nothing when her bra was cut away and her pants were being pushed down her hips without so much as a warning. _Cutting straight to the chase, eh?_ Tara swatted his hands away and pulled all but her panties down and off her, kicking her boots off before getting her tight pants down. Once that was done and over with, she returned to her previous position of straddling his hips, feeling a little _too _exposed since she was pretty much naked and Krueger was still fully dressed.

'So _that's _what you've been hiding under all those clothes," Krueger thought aloud, chuckling darkly as one blade on his glove drew a shallow line down the center of Tara's chest, just above her death scar. Tara shuddered at this, amazed that he would actually **dare **to cut her, giving her reaction to such.

'Surprised?" She asked, her question ending in a gasp as Freddy took hold of her and pressed his lips to her wounds, sucking on what blood had trickled out. His rough tongue passed over it a few times, his saliva stinging Tara. It seemed to her that he was trying to open it wider, the way it danced over her flesh, one of his hands squeezing her breast roughly. _Jeez, this guy had no respect for women, huh? _

This went on for a moment longer before Tara finally pushed him away. It would be over way too soon if he kept that up.

'Krueger, in case you haven't realized," she started when he began to curse under his breath, one of her hands leading his between her legs, purring he finally touched her damp underwear. 'I'm wetter than fuck and to make a long story short, I'm pretty damn sure that the cops might crash our little party at any minute. So if you don't mind, can we get a move on, already?" Krueger grinned at her and tipped his fedora at her, much like he had when they first met.

'I thought you'd never ask, bitch." he answered, cutting away Tara's panties and tossing them aside, Tara taking his incentive and undoing his belt and pants before holding him in her hands for a moment. Surprising enough, she'd been wrong all along about the whole 'Chestnuts roasting on an open fire', for it seemed like this part of him was spared in the fire. Wait, scratch that. Tara had just felt a burnt spot, but she couldn't be sure since Krueger batted her hand away and, without giving her a chance to see anything, thrust inside. Both of them hissed, Tara's hands taking hold of his shirt in a vice grip, some of the weaker threads tearing.

It had been... way too long since Tara had last been with anyone, and even though she was technically _dead_, her body still remembered this, and so no pain followed. Krueger sensed that she didn't need him to wait, even though she had a feeling that he wouldn't have anyways, and proceeded to thrust roughly into her. Tara groaned and laid her head on his shoulder, nails digging into his burnt skin and drawing more black blood from him. In retort, Freddy's bladed glove held her hip a little tighter, the sharp knives cutting through her easily. Tara's entire body shivered, feeling nothing but white hot pleasure at having her blood spilled. Noting her reaction, Freddy proceeded to cut her a few more times, Tara's moans growing a bit louder everytime. A morbid little bitch, this one.

All told, this went on for a good twenty minutes before they finally went over the edge together, Tara falling against Freddy as they pulled themselves together. The smell of cigarette smoke some time later let Tara know that Freddy had found an easier way to get back to normal.

'Damn," she heard him say as his chest moved slightly. 'You're a good fuck, kid." Tara laughed quietly and snatched the cigarette from his hand before taking a long drag.

'Same to you," she answered, blowing out her smoke in his face, grinning mischievously. Freddy started to cuss the bitch out just for her sheer audacity, but that grin of Tara's just made every word slip his mind as she gave back his smoke. 'I don't think I've had that much fun since my cherry was popped. Freddy laughed at his, polishing off their shared cigarette and tossing the butt somewhere behind them.

'Care for round two?" he asked, meeting Tara's stare. She paused as she heard sirens, and started wondering if she should leave and go back to the hideout. However...

'Sounds like fun," she replied. 'My place or yours?"

'_Mine_," he growled both killers disappearing just as the police kicked open the door.


	13. Author's Note

**Author's Note-**

Hello everyone! So, in case you didn't know, this is Tamika, the author of _Of Ice And Blades_. As many of you have probably heard, I have been having issues with my brother over the real owner of Tara Woodson and how much she has changed from the original story, and a rumor floated around that I was planning to either delete the story or put it on hiatus. I can now say that that rumor is true for the following reasons:

My brother has never once been open to sharing his stories with others like I am because he thinks that I am the better writer. It turns out that he is jealous that people are liking _Of Ice And Blades _so much and believes that I am doing this:

'Tara has been taken from a quiet and withdrawn girl into a character that I'm not I want to have anything to with anymore. I never once intended for you to take her and turn her into a supernatural killer. This story is taking her completely out of the lines I clearly laid down, and I would appreciate if you stopped the story."

Personally, I think 'my story/my rules', but then again, I'm not the one that created Tara Woodson. Another reason is that I feel that many things that I had originally planned to put in the story should have been put there to better explain what Tara was and to show just exactly why she was who she was. But this was not put there and I feel that the story would be better if I put them in.

So until further notice, _Of Ice And Blades_ is on hiatus until the situation with Eddie has been resolved. Whether it will be continued, rewritten, or taken down, I don't yet know.

However, on the brighter side, to get away from the drama over Tara and Eddie, I am planning a story called _The Violinist _for the 1989 version of The Phantom of the Opera fandom. I can't say when that story will be posted, but I can say it will be soon.

But I felt that all of you should know what is going on, and the day that everything is settled with my brother and myself, I promise that _Of Ice And Blades _will be completed.

~Tamika


End file.
